Creatures of Myth
by SuperYuuki
Summary: Something strange is happening in the Soul Society. A war has erupted between two rival Youkai clans, and Seireitei is right in the middle of the chaos. OC X Orihime, Hitsugaya x OC, Ichigo X Tatsuki, Ichimaru X OC COMPLETE cover image is Soma Rentaro
1. Spark The Flames

**Title:** Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

**Summary:** Something strange is happening in Soul Society. Youkai have awakened after years of silent watching, and they're not exactly doing so peacefully. Hitsugaya Toushirou finds love in the strangest person, Inoue Orihime is discovered to be more than she believes, and Ichimaru Gin once again finds himself wrapped up in an evil plot. A hungry evil is lurking in the shadows of Seireitei, and it's dark plans threatens the lives of those Kurosaki Ichigo holds dear.

Major Pairings: Hitsugaya x OC, OC x Inoue Orihime, Ichimaru Gin x OC, Ichigo x Tatsuki, OC x OC. Mentions of Uryu x Nemu, Chad x Isane, and Renji x Rukia.

**Rating:** T (Heavy **Gore** (Cannibalism), some violence, and mild themes of a citrus fruit nature)

**A/N:** This idea will be a huge mix of inspiration I got from many other fics. For the first time, I'm trying out doing an outline so I know what I'm writing, so if you think this is good then… well… cool. Lol. For the first time in forever I'll know the basic plot events in each chapter so I'll know what the heck I'm doing beforehand! This story shall have order! The plot will make sense! You are going to notice some themes that this shares in common with the manga Black Bird (Such as Senka maidens), but please disregard them. This is my opinion of what Youkai would be like, please don't question it… I've done my research… I know what they're really like, but for the sake of this story, this is what they are like.

(Also, the quality of the writing takes a jump at chapter five. The quality itself and the presence of plot is insanely better once you reach chapter seven (where the plot suddenly morphs out of nowhere XD). I will work on overhauling the first four chapters of this fic when I get the time.)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was a calm night. The crickets chirped in the gardens of Seireitei, the beautiful glowing moon illuminating the world with its snow-colored light, bleaching the color from the roves of the many buildings. A slight breeze rustled the leaves, calming the sleeping spirits, but the wind, in reality, was an omen. Powers were stirring, old, primal, powers.

They were waiting. Tonight was an important night of diplomacy. If the deal was not struck, then, well, they might fight a war. The prophets among them had predicted that if a war was started, then the death count would be high, especially for the unknowing souls that inhabited the region.

Two lone figures met on Sokyoku Hill. Clad in loose cotton kimonos, the males stood at least five feet away from each other, their body language tense. It was obvious to any that these individuals were not normal souls, nor were they Shinigami, no, they were too powerful. Another thing set them apart from others. The silver-haired male had tails, nine of them, exactly, flowing out behind him, and the other with jet black hair, had large, black, shiny wings.

The winged male frowned, "Soma. I am saddened that we must meet under these unfortunate circumstances."

Flashing a grin, the other being laughed, "Unfortunate? The understatement of the eon, Shimizu. We're on the brink of war, and you say unfortunate? Well."

Shimizu sighed, and a gust of wind blew. "What does your clan want, Soma?"

The creature was silent for a moment before answering softly, his eyes cast down, "You're not going to like it."

"I await your answer, Soma," the man demanded harshly, scowling, "What will it take for an alliance?"

There was silence before Soma answered, "The Kitsune want a marriage between our clan and the Tengu clan," he said, somber.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, leaves were tossed around, branches were torn off trees, and the wind howled like never before. Shimizu eyes were wide with fury, "You want _my_ Ao to marry Rentaro? Are you out of your mind, Soma?" he seethed.

The Kitsune's shoulders slumped. "Unlike you, Shimizu, I have to follow the will of the Soma elders. If the marriage does not occur, then you know what will happen. Or rather, what won't."

Shimizu stood tall. He had hoped that it wouldn't come to this. War was the last thing the Tengu wanted. He wasn't so sure about the Kitsune, but who knew? "I need a male heir that is a Tengu, Soma. If I marry off my only daughter to a Kitsune, then that will be impossible."

"I understand, Shimizu, but don't expect the elders to, also. If there is no alliance, then I cannot guarantee that we won't ever end up on opposite sides of a war."

The Tengu sighed.

"I'm sorry, Shimizu. I have no choice."

He nodded, "Likewise."

Shimizu suddenly realized the aura that hung just behind Soma. It was a dark aura that belonged to a dark being. He gasped in terror, "Soma, look out!"

The nine-tailed man turned, but not before the woman sprang. He screamed as its jaws closed on his neck, piercing his flesh and spreading its deadly venom in his veins. The red-eyed woman released the Kitsune's neck and backed away, licking her bloodied lips. Soma's tails disappeared, one-by-one, and he collapsed to the ground, beyond assistance.

Shimizu growled, "Shirohebi! Why? Your people have been allies with the Kitsune for thousands of years!"

The woman laughed. "True, but now they want to ally with you Tengu. That is unacceptable. Besides, it's not like this will spark a replay of the fifth Senka war. Damn that was nasty!" she tensed and threw several white objects at Shimizu. He caught them automatically, realizing too late what it was. It was simply packets of Shirohebi venom. Shimizu yelped and dropped them. One was empty and unwrapped.

The Shirohebi woman cackled, and ran.

Shimizu realized what the snake-demon had just done. She'd framed him for the Kitsune clan leader's death. This… was very bad.

A war would spark. The Shirohebi was right, it wouldn't be anything like the Fifth Senka war, but it would come close, definitely. There would be no attempt to negotiate from the Kitsune side, so the wise decision would be for the Tengu to forego all negotiations, also.

The Tengu flew off into the night. He needed not only to warn his people by sunrise, but he had a few favors to call in.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A woman in a darkly-colored Yukata sat in the garden of the Kuchiki family. Of course, nobody knew she was there. Especially not the Shinigami that lived in the manor. Her face was covered with a beautiful white mask, which she understood was risky around these parts, but she didn't care. The part around the mouth and nose lifted away from her face slightly, creating the illusion that she had a beak, but the rest was just shaped like a woman's face. She spent many nights walking in the Kuchiki gardens, and she'd given Kuchiki Byakuya a good scare once, but she was more careful nowadays not to show herself.

She almost wanted to sigh. Weren't the Shinigami supposed to be like those as herself? It was rumored that they once were, but certainly not in her lifetime.

"You there!" yelled a loud, male voice.

The woman ignored it, staying completely still, staring deeply into the koi pond, as always. They wouldn't be able to see her. Youkai were invisible to most Shinigami.

Footsteps approached her, and she began to become skeptical. She turned to face the men.

They stopped in their tracks and pulled out their Zanpakuto. There were two guards. "Shit! It's a hollow," one said fairly loudly.

Underneath her mask, the woman was stunned, fearful almost. Of course, they couldn't tell, for her face was covered. "You… Can see me?" she spoke, her voice like wind chimes.

The men showed no sign of answering her question. "Just attack it!" one called and ran at her with an unsheathed Zanpakuto.

Despite her initial bewilderment, she responded quickly and efficiently, concentrating energy in her hand before releasing it in a downwards swipe, cutting a not-so-shallow gash in the Shinigami's chest.

"Why you-" blood began to pour from the gash.

She put a hand to her mask, "Neither of you are Senka, obviously, nor do you have the Sight, so I am baffled as to why your eyes can see me," she said curtly.

The un-harmed one looked angry, "Of course we can see you; you're a Hollow!"

"Hollow? I am no such thing." She turned and began to walk away.

"So you're one of them Arrancar things, then, eh?"

She stopped, turned and glared, although they really couldn't tell that well because of the mask. "I am not of the Hollow family. Nor is my species in the same Phylum," she looked to the sky, golden hair ornaments jingling. "I shall be taking my leave now."

"What, you can't just…!"

Wings. Black, feathery wings unfurled from her back, and the Shinigami gazed in wonderment as the woman flew into the sky. One man quietly whispered "Tengu…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"What do you mean, my father is dead!" shouted the young, silver-haired man.

The old gray-haired elder scowled, "He was killed by the Tengu clan leader, Shimizu Hakyu. Soma Rentaro-sama, you are the new clan leader, but of course, you still need to follow our orders, and we strongly suggest going to war with the Tengu clan."

Rentaro seemed shocked. "No! Ao would never…!"

"It was not Shimizu Ao-hime that committed this crime against us, Rentaro-sama," the elder stated. "Just because the offspring of a person would never do something, does not mean that their parent will not."

The Kitsune boy's gaze was cast to the floor. A red aura a anger and fire formed around him, frightening some of the weaker Kitsune in the room, "If its war then what then it's war they'll get."

The elder nodded. "If you please sir, relinquish all control over our forces during this wartime to us."

Rentaro nodded, "Yes, defeat our enemy, elders."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Have you heard?_

_ Yeah. The Foxes and the Birds are going to war._

_ You know what that means, right?_

_ Yep! We're free to do whatever we want while they're caught up with their own troubles!_

_ The Rukongai… shall be ours!_

_ Blood and chaos~~ Blood and chaos~~ Ooo, I'm getting the warm fuzzies just thinking about it!_

_ This is going to be so fun!_

_ So fun!_

_ Blood!_

_ Chaos!_

_ Those high and mighty Shinigami won't know what hit them!_

_All us lower Youkai will finally get our chance to have some fun!_

_ Blood!_

_ Chaos!_

_ Death!_

_ Pain!_

_ Destruction!_

_ So fun!_

_ So fun!_

_ Let's have fun!_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In a realm to the far north, a black clad man with black wings landed in the thin dusting of snow. He gazed around before calling out, "Mira!"

The snow lifted off the ground in flurries, swirling around one point until that small area was totally obscured from sight. Suddenly, the snow dropped to ground, lifeless again, but in its place was a woman, a beautiful woman that would remind some people Sode no Shirayuki. Actually, she looked so much like Rukia's Zanpakuto that they could be sisters, if such a thing was possible.

The woman had ice encrusted in her hair, giving the impression that she was wearing a glass tiara. Her face was as pale as the moon, but her lips were a bloody red, and at the moment were curled up in an uncharacteristically warm smile. When she spoke, her voice was as icicles, "Greetings, Shimizu-sama. What can we humble Yuki-onna do for you?"

"Drop the act, Mira. I've been framed for the murder of Soma Terusai."

She laughed, and some of the snow melted, only freeze back into ice. "Well, isn't that unpleasant, Hakyu, dear!"

"Mira, I'm serious, a war to rival the Fifth Senka war is about to erupt."

Mira suddenly seemed deadly serious, murderous intent lurking silently behind her gaze, undetected by either of them. "Shimizu, I was unaware we were back on a first name basis," she said, ice beginning to grow on the edges of the Tengu's wings. Hakyu could see the moisture of his breath in the cold air, and his exposed skin began to sting from the frost.

He shivered slightly, but his composure remained. "Gomenasai, Shiramae-sama."

Mira sighed, and the deadly cold evaporated, leaving behind an exasperated expression. "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"The Yuki-onna have great powers, am I correct?"

"Of course you are, Shimizu, those powers are the reason the Kitsune make sure we stay here in the north," she said, her voice as icicles again.

"Well, then, I have a proposal…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Not too weird? I kinda like it… Chapters will get longer… I promise… Rentaro will be a recurring character; you'll see him a lot, so will the Tengu woman, namely Shimizu Ao. Ao is the main character in this, but that's not evident in this first chapter. And before anyone assumes anything, Shiramae Mira is not who I am pairing with Toushirou. Shiramae has some history with Hakyu, though…

Youkai that have appeared so far:

Tengu: These play a large role in Japanese Mythology. They are often spirits of mountains, and they are known to be relatively peaceful. Shrines dedicated to Tengu are not uncommon.

Kitsune: Fox spirits. Japan is home to two races of very friendly foxes, and in history, humans and foxes interacted much. This is where Kitsune come from. Kitsune are generally kind… but mischievous. Kitsune can be men or women, even in Mythology.

Yuki-Onna: Literally, Snow-woman. Said to be spiteful ghosts of women who have died in a blizzard. There is a legend of a three men who, due to circumstances, had to journey out into the blizzard. They encountered the Yuki-Onna, who killed the first two, but kept the third alive and let him go because of his youth. She made him promise never to tell anyone of their meeting. So the boy grew older, married a beautiful wife and had children, and one day he decided to tell his wife about the woman he met one day in the blizzard that saved his life. His wife turned out to be the Yuki-Onna, and was upset that he told. But technically, he didn't, so she didn't kill him, but she left, melting into a pile of snow.

Shirohebi: (The author can't find anything on them because the world sucks and hates her. She didn't just make them up… They were in Black Bird!)


	2. Ao's Miscalculation

**A/N:** Chapter Two… Yep. I updated. Why? Because after I saw the story traffic, I was like, "Wow, I've got to do something to make people review." So, even though this chapter is a tad awkward, and I wish I added more detail, I am content with publishing this.

Normal

_Thinking or Silent speech among minor demons._

_**Zanpakuto Speech**_

_Thoughts responding to Zanpakuto or inner being_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It wasn't like any other captains' meeting they'd had in a while. The last one even similar to this was just after Aizen defected, and there hadn't even been this many captains at the meeting. The air was tense, and the moment the last person entered, the meeting was called to order.

Yamamoto slammed his cane on the ground, creating small sparks, and announced, "The Rukongai is in utter chaos. People are getting killed for no reason, and the perpetrators of these blind killings are so called 'strange creatures' or sometimes they are described as 'ghosts.' I want these creatures destroyed, and as swiftly as possible. The Tenth division will investigate the matter, the eleventh, thirteenth, and eighth will be in charge of elimination of these 'things,' but only those that are openly hostile. The Fourth will set up rescue tents throughout the lower Rukongai areas, and aid as many people as possible."

Kenpachi scoffed, "Why don't we just slaughter all of them?"

"Maybe not all of the creatures are hostile, Zaraki," Unohana said.

Hitsugaya sighed. Why did it seem that his division always got investigation duties? These things didn't seem friendly at all, and he agreed with the idea up just going out and massacring every weird thing that they happened upon.

_**Toushirou, I have an odd feeling about these things.**_

___Like what, Hyorinmaru? What are they? Do you know? Do I know?_

_**Woah. Slow down. I just have a feeling, that's all.**_

As many people know, a Zanpakuto never just 'has a feeling'.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Come here, little girl…_

The young girl looked around. No one had said anything, for there was no one near to say anything. So… who was it?

_Little girl… Do you have any sweets to share?_

Oh. There. She spotted a kind-looking older woman. "Excuse me, elder?"

_Little girl, any sweets to share with an old woman?_

Fear began to spread throughout the girl's body, but she wasn't sure why. "No, ma'am, I don't have any sweets. I'm sorry."

The woman frowned. _That's disappointing…_

And the woman disappeared.

The girl now realized, when the woman had spoken, her mouth hadn't moved.

Suddenly, she coughed violently, and after, stared blankly at the blood she'd coughed up…

. . . . . . . .

_Hisssssisssssisssss_

An odd sound… What an odd sound! The older man looked up from the book he was reading…

__

It wasn't a snake. Snake didn't hiss quite like that. He got up to investigate, slowly, reached for the door to the outside.

He opened it and gasped at the sight before him.

The air was alit with blue wisps of fire…

It was beautiful, yet terrifying. The fire flickered gracefully in the air. Suddenly, one fell, and disappeared.

The man wasn't sure what he was seeing, but he couldn't stop staring at them… as his home burned to ground, he still stayed in his trance, unable to tear his eyes away from the ghostly blue fire.

. . . . . . . .

"!"

A scream. The man rushed out of the house, to see his wife pointing into the tree.

He saw it, the red hand dangling from the tree, trying to strangle his wife.

. . . . . . . . .

"GRAAAAAARRRAAH!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The meeting was dismissed and they left the meeting room. Hitsugaya was surprised to see those before him stopping in shock after opening the doors.

He pushed a few of his fellow captains out of the way, only to see the horrible sight before him.

Seireitei was in flames.

. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .

"God dammit!" Yelled the Tengu woman. "There is too many of them! We can't keep the souls unaware any longer!" she called to her soldiers, referring to the large groups of Kitsune gathering on the otherside of Seireitei. They nodded.

The woman was still wearing her mask, but her black hair was tied up in a tight bun, and instead of her decorative kimono, she wore a black spilt Hakama, like the Shinigami wore, along with an open backed top, allowing her wings to move freely. She held a normal, plain Katana at her side.

They were hidden behind a building, namely the Third division barracks, but no one was around to see them at the moment. She turned back to her soldiers, "Let's lift the seal, then charge at them with all we got!"

"Shimizu Ao!" called a man's voice.

The woman seemed a bit startled, the voice had come from atop the building. She looked up, to see a young man with silver hair perched on the roof of the building. "Rentaro? What the hell are you doing here!"

The Tengu soldiers made a move towards the Kitsune prince, but Ao motioned for them to stand down. The fox smiled, "Ao, what's up?"

She scowled, "We're in the middle of a war and all you can say is 'what's up'?"

Rentaro tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Middle? What do you mean? We're not even fighting each other yet," he said thoughtfully.

The Tengu face-palmed, which was rather difficult to do in her mask.

"You're not exactly the best strategist, Ao-hime," he teased.

"Oh, bug off!"

"And take off that ridiculous mask," he said, reaching down and nearly plucking the white mask off her face before she turned to the side.

"Knock it off, Rentaro!"

"What? It's not like you're ugly or anything!" he paused. "Or are you?"

"It's Shimizu tradition for a woman to wear a mask until she is married!" In reality, she'd had all her masks enchanted so that only she and her 'true love' would be able to remove the mask. At least, remove the mask easily. Someone else could take it off, but it would pose them some difficultly.

"Woman? What're you talking about? You're still a little girl…"

"… You know, I'm not going to deal with this right now." She turned to leave.

"Oh, Ao, by the way, there is a Basan loose in Rukongai…"

She stopped, and slowly turned back to Rentaro, "What do you mean a Basan is loose in Rukongai?"

He grinned and ran a hand through his untidy silver hair, "That a Basan is loose in Rukongai! But it was in Seireitei first. I'm not sure how it got out, but it did."

Underneath her mask, Ao twitched. "Well, that sucks for the spirits of Rukongai, doesn't it?"

"Yep! Totally!" He turned, and jumped away.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Weird Chapter…. Good thing I'm going to double update… or else people might lose interest. Lots of Hitsugaya next chapter, less Rentaro…

By the way, you may realize that the angry, revenge-driven Rentaro of chapter one is gone. He'll be back. Trust me…

And in case you don't get it, Seireitei is in flames because of the ghostly blue fires and the… ..ROFL. When I found that, I immediately thought, 'OMG I MUST USE THAT IN A FUNNY DESTRUCTIVE WAY!'

And the 'Graaaaaaaaah' thing was the Basan, too. OMG all thing can be explained with 'the Basan did it'… omg. I can't get into WoW. The Basan did it. I'm really ill. The Basan did it. I don't have my homework. The Basan ate it. OMG that's my new homework excuse. "Mrs. Moss, I don't have my homework because a Basan ate it!"

Creatures so far:

Akateko: A red hand dangling from a tree. That's basically it. In real mythology, they're harmless… I just changed things up a bit for the sake of the story.

Akurojin-no-hi: Ghosly fire. Again, harmless. I don't think they do anything weird… beside be ghostly and what not.

Amazake-babaa: an old woman who asks for sweets and brings disease. Not harmless. Don't think I changed that too much…

Basan: (It's a secret… for now.)


	3. The Yuki Onna

**A/N:** Chapter Three! YEY!

I have nothing to say…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_**I feel so weird being used for this…**_

_Shut up and help me!_

_**Fine, fine…**_

"GO! HYORINMARU!" Hitsugaya exclaimed, directing the ice towards the flames. They collided in a cloud of steam and noise. The flames subdued slightly, but did not fade. The Taichou growled. "It's not enough!"

The flames rose high around him, and Hitsugaya found he was trapped in an orange and red prison of fire. He swore. The temperature was rising quickly. Black smoke saturated the air, and he coughed.

"Hyo… Hyorinmaru!" he threw the ice dragon into the flames, resulting only in meager steam.

'_Looks like somebody is having some trouble…'_

Who was that? "Who's there?" he called out.

_'Ame-onna…'_

Ame-onna?

Rain-woman?

_'Let me help…'_

He suddenly noticed the woman standing next to him. She'd been there the whole time. Why hadn't he realized it? She had long, soaked black hair and a long, light blue dress that clinged to her like a second skin. Her eyes were a stormy gray. She smiled at him, and then turned to the flames, holding out a single, dainty hand. She whispered a few unintelligible words and water spouted from her outstretched palm.

Hitsugaya wasn't sure when, but sometime a few moments ago, it had begun to rain.

The fire fought, but was unsuccessful. The flames were defeated rather quickly once the rain had joined the fight.

He looked to the sky, and to his surprise, he saw… birds? No… they were too large to be birds. His eyes widened as balls of fire were shot into the flock. Most of the creatures managed to evade them, he spotted one spiral to the ground.

_'The fire… is gone, Shinigami.'_

He nodded to the Ame-onna. "Thank you, Ame-onna-sama," he said.

She… giggled? It was the only word to describe it. It sounded garbled, as if she was underwater. _'You're welcome, Shinigami-san!'_ She danced off to put out more fires.

The Ame-onna… he'd think about it more later. Now, his thoughts were going to the fallen bird… or whatever. He looked to the general area where it had fallen. If it was his job to investigate, then he'd definitely be doing his job by investigating the fallen bird creature.

Reluctantly, he made his way towards the fallen bird.

. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Not even fighting each other yet my ass!" Ao screamed as she crossed swords with a Kitsune soldier.

She growled, and pulled back, running her hand along the length of her blade. It began to glow black with dark aura. The aura gathered at the tip of the blade, and she swung it towards the Kitsune, the dark orb of energy rolling off the blade and hurtling at the enemy.

"Get out of my way!" she shouted as the energy hit the nameless (to her, at least) Kitsune square in the chest. It was weak, anyways. Only had two tails.

They were surrounded by Kitsune. She could tell that all they needed to do would be to organize themselves and they'd-

Wait. The Kitsune were slowly retreating… why? They had an advantage here! Suddenly, the Kitsune circled the airborne Tengu.

Momentarily distracted, Ao noticed some of the fire going out below.

Turning her attention back to the Kitsune, she saw them all gathering their fire energy in their hands.

"What the- Holy sh-"

They released the fire balls straight at them. "Scatter!" she screamed, ordering her soldiers to move.

Everything slowed down. She dived to avoid a flaming projectile, successfully evading the orb. She sighed in relief. Turning around to assess the damage, she gasped. Another fire ball was coming right at her. It was too late to dodge.

Her world suddenly became burning red, hot pain blossomed all over her body. Unable to maintain flight, she stopped flapping her wings, spiraling downwards.

Everything faded to black as the world dissolved around her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Almost one-hundred Yuki-onna were gathered in the snowy glade. The tense atmosphere was almost palpable. It was colder than usual. Much colder. A large boulder was situated at one edge of the glade. It had always been there, but only now was its purpose evident. A familiar delicate figure was perched atop the stone.

Shiramae Mira stood before her people. They all looked similar to her. The Yuki-onna were like her sisters. Could she ask such a thing of them? Could she ask her sisters to go to war?

"Sisters. I stand before you today to ask something that I do not want to ask. We all know of the Kitsune and their unlawful imprisonment of our people. We all know of the Tengu and the great debt we owe to them. Sisters, I have been approached with a request," she took a deep breath, "This request, I could not answer on my own, for it was not my place to answer. Shimizu Hakyu came to me with a request."

At this, the gathered Yuki-onna stirred. Mira mentally cringed. The last thing they needed was a reminder of past scandals, but she continued confidently. "It was an understandable, reasonable request, especially based on what we owe to the Tengu clan," she paused again, the next sentences were a bit difficult, "I'm sure you've all heard about the war that has sparked between the Shimizu and the Soma clan."

Stir. Murmurs. Of course they were anticipating what she'd say next.

"We have been asked to fight alongside the great Shimizu clan Tengu against the Soma clan Kitsune."

Silence. Startling, utter silence. Shiramae Mira, unbelievably, began to sweat. In some cases, no response was a good response. She had no idea if this was one of those situations.

Suddenly, an older woman stood. "I say we accept," the elder Yuki-onna stated.

Mira looked aghast. "Obaasan…"

The old woman shrugged. "You heard me. We owe the Shimizu clan much, and," she turned to the younger Yuki-onna, "May I remind you that we hate the Soma clan Kitsune!"

The murmurs seemed to get more positive. Shiramae was hopeful. She took the chance and ran with it. "If the Tengu win this war, then winter will return to the Soul Society. We will have freedoms like we haven't had since the Kitsune of the Soma clan came to fear us. They _fear_ us, sisters, for our powers of ice and cold have the ability to put out their searing flames!"

This comment brought cheers. _Cheers_. Mira grinned. "They already have the Ame-onna on their side! With our freezing prowess, the Tengu shan't lose!"

They'd join the Shimizu on the battlefield. Ice and Wind and Water against Fire. The Kitsune _will_ lose.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Ao slowly awoke to a soothing feeling…

. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** He-he. Don't worry. This seems like it's going to end quickly.

It's not.

This is gonna go on, and on, and on…

The war obviously isn't the only problem going on. We got the minor Youkai causing chaos in Rukongai, and neither the Shimizu nor the Soma are really caring right now, but think of all the effort it's going to take to round them up afterwards and get them back in line.

That BASAN! THE DREADED BASAN! Muhahahahahahahaha!

Okay, conflict between Yuki-onna and Kitsune… I totally made that up. But… I don't think it really matters. I mean, myths about vampires and such change from story to story, so why isn't the same with Youkai? I think it is. It makes sense. We have our Vamps and werewolves, they have their Tengu and Kitsune. It really can't be that much different… can it?

Creatures so far:

Ame-onna: Rain-women. Sort of like Yuki-onna. I don't know much. I really should do more research.


	4. Puzzle Piece

**A/N:** Chapter Four… Gosh darn it; I still have nothing to say!

Oh wait! Yes! Yes, I do have something to say! Okay, just so you know, the Tengu officials and such will always be dressed in dark violet and Kitsune officials will always be dressed in a dull gold.

Rentaro will probably be seen wearing something similar to what the vocaloid Kaito wears. But mainly, Ao will be wearing black.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He was sure. The bird-thing had fallen nearby.

Hitsugaya rounded a corner, and looked around, searching for the wounded creature.

'_**Why are you so obsessed with this anyways?'**_ Hyorinmaru asked lazily.

'_I don't know.'_

_ '__**I mean, seriously, what do you think you'll find?'**_

_** '**__I said I don't know.'_

_ '__**What's the purpose?'**_

_** '**__I SAID I DON'T KNOW!'_

The Zanpakuto was silent after that.

Hitsugaya turned another corner, and stopped.

Sprawled on the ground was a girl. She looked like she'd been through hell, literally. Her clothing was singed, and she was covered in angry red burns. Blood was seeping slowly onto the ground, and the burns… the burns were just horrid. He noticed the black feathers everywhere, and quickly dismissed them as a result from the girl's encounter with the bird-things.

The young Taichou approached her slowly, kneeling down to check her pulse. She was still alive, just unconscious. Carefully, he wrapped his arms under the girl's shoulders and pulled her over to the wall, where he lay the unconscious girl against the wall so that she was propped up.

Only now did he get a good look at her. She was wearing an outfit similar to that of the second division's Taichou, with the open-backed top and normal black spilt Hakama. The only thing that was off about her outfit was the mask. It looked like it had once looked beautiful, but now it was charred in places, and likely very uncomfortable. There may be burns underneath the mask. Due to the possibility, Toushirou very tenderly removed the mask from the girl's face and set it down next to her. It came off rather easily, especially if it managed to stay on when she'd fallen. He'd expected it to be a bit more difficult to remove.

To his surprise, the face beneath the mask was undamaged; rather, it was utterly _flawless_. Her cheek bones were placed at a perfect medium, not too high, not too low; and her small, dainty nose was just plain cute. Even in slumber, her long eyelashes were easily visible, and the utterly flawless curve of her lips was – was -

'_**Enticing?'**_

_** '**__Shut. Up.'_

The girl simply possessed an… unearthly, ethereal beauty that he'd never seen before. Never had he seen a person this… dream-like.

Was she a Shinigami? Was she even a human soul? His questions were answered as he realized the mass of black feathers were _attached to her back_. The girl had wings… what could it mean?

'_What is she? Some sort of… weird experiment?'_

_ '__**Doubt it. Kurotsuchi doesn't do genetics.'**_

_** '**__Hyorinmaru, please. Your input isn't needed on every little thing.'_

Silence from the Zanpakuto. Thank kami.

So, if she wasn't some weird experiment, and she _couldn't_ be a normal soul or a Shinigami, she definitely wasn't human, and he doubted she was a Hollow or an Arrancar… then, she had to be… like… you know… an Angel.

'_**…'**_

_** '**__I heard that.'_

_ '__**…'**_

Suddenly, a realization dawned on him. Maybe he should be mending her wounds instead of sitting there gawking like an idiot. Sighing, he looked back to the rest of her, looking for the worst of burns. It wasn't long before he tracked down a rather nasty burn on her side. Toushirou held his hand over the wound and whispered the incantation for the lowest ranking healing Kidou he could think of. A blue shield-like arc formed under his hand as he concentrated his reiatsu into healing the mysterious girl.

He glanced back up at her face just as the girl's lovely opal eyes flickered open.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Through the suffocating, black darkness that was unconsciousness, Ao felt a soothing sensation. Something was replacing the stinging agony of fire and replacing it was a cool, calming touch. Ao wanted to drown in the feeling. It felt so good on her burning skin.

After an amount of time, a sliver of light reached her eyes. It took her a few seconds, but she managed to realize that her eyes were opening. From what she could tell, she wasn't anywhere near fighting or fire. No, she was in a nice, cool, twilight-colored place.

Slowly, she opened her eyes all the way. The very first thing she saw were the pair of turquoise eyes trained upon her face. She found herself entranced by those eyes, those endless pools of icy blue and green.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A black clad man walked through the streets of Seireitei. He walked with a slight aura of confidence, but even so, that was not what turned faces. He wore a long, dark violet cloak that flowed out behind him with elegance, the hood pulled up to shield his face from prying eyes. His presence garnered looks of confusion and glares from the usual residents, but he did not mind nor acknowledge them. He was intent on his destination.

His destination was the First Division. He carried an important message addressed to a "Yamamoto S. Genryusai"

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Her eyes locked with his.

They were beautiful eyes, but they were so confusing. When she'd first opened her eyes, they'd seemed to be a glittering white. But… now that he'd had a closer look, they seemed to change. At one moment, they seemed sort of blue. After staring for quite a while, he came to the conclusion that her eyes were the color of pure ice.

Suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise, and the hand that was farthest from him flew to her face. "My mask!" she exclaimed breathlessly. She looked around a bit, "I – It must've fallen off-"

Quickly, he composed himself. Turning his attention to healing her, Toushirou motioned with the hand that wasn't performing the Kidou. "I removed your mask to check for burns. It's right here."

She stared at him blankly, shoulders tensing slightly. Her hair - that had previously been tied up in a perfect bun - loosely hung around her face and over her shoulders. It was a miracle that her hair wasn't burnt. After a few moments she asked, "Was it difficult to take off?"

Toushirou's brow furrowed in confusion. It was such a random question. Her head moved forward slightly, anticipating his answer. "No, actually, it was rather easy to remove."

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "No way!" she murmured, "Stupid enchantment must've worn off."

As she finished complaining, the raw, burned skin on her side finished healing, knitting itself back together. He pulled his hand back, remembering where the second worst burn was.

Just below her collar bone.

_Great._

He sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "There is a fairly bad burn on your collar bone area. In order to heal it, I'm going to have to really get in your personal space," he stated flatly. He may look like kid, but he certainly understood manners.

Her eyes widened again and she blinked a couple times. Her gaze turned to the nasty red welt below her collar bone, and she cringed. "Owies… Yeah, go ahead."

. . . . . . . . . . .

He leaned in and held his hand above her burn. She got goose bumps as a weird blue shield thing formed over the wound, filling her with the cool, soothing sensation again.

She watched his face as he concentrated on the… whatever it was. Everything about his face told her how intently he was concentrating on the healing. Starting to get a little uncomfortable, she shifted her gaze upwards to his oddly colored hair. It was a white-ish silver color that reminded her vaguely of snow, and the cool, spikey hair-do that was just awesome. Her gaze fell over his shoulders, and she could just barely see the muscle underneath the thick Shihakusho.

Overall, pretty darn attractive, for a Shinigami.

But still, she just couldn't believe that a Shinigami, a creature not of her species, was able to take off her enchanted mask easily. Rentaro, a _Kitsune_, hadn't been able to get it off her face, and that was merely a few short days ago. It was so confusing. Maybe because Shinigami were different than other Youkai – no, scratch that, they practically were Youkai, they'd just evolved differently than the rest of them. So, maybe she'd put on the wrong mask. She plenty that were pure white like the one she'd worn… shoot, but only one had the beak thing like that. It could be that she'd neglected to apply to her face correctly. It was possible that she'd just set it wrong or maybe something just weakened the enchantment. But then, wouldn't it have fallen off when she fell? There were too many variables in her theories. It was impossible to prove any of them right.

So…

Gah! She had to stop thinking about this, NOW!

She didn't even know his name… Ah, maybe she should ask. "Shinigami," she said, allowing a bit more seriousness to seep into her voice.

"Hn?" he didn't look up from his healing.

"Who are you?" she asked.

He paused. It was sort of a reluctant pause, but Ao wasn't all that sure. It could have been many things. "Hitsugaya Toushirou-taichou of the Tenth Division," he stated. There wasn't even a hint of bragging in his voice, even with such a great title. "You?"

"Shimizu Ao. Princess of the Shimizu clan," she said, ever so quietly. You never knew who was around to hear. Her father had warned her of the Shirohebi, and how they despised the Shimizu Tengu for some reason. She didn't want someone to overhear her name. Call her paranoid, but seriously, you never know.

He maintained his cool expression. "Shimizu? I've never heard of a near-royalty clan by that name."

"Mm. That's the point."

"…Interesting."

Ao wondered why he hadn't commented on her wings. Or asked her what division she was from . . . a question she wouldn't be able to answer.

A few moments of somewhat awkward silence passed before either of them spoke again.

It was Hitsugaya-san who broke the silence, and with a question absolutely professional, "Do you know anything about the strange happenings currently occurring in Seireitei and Rukongai?"

She tilted her head to the side slightly, and sighed. "I suppose. Otosan will probably be sending a messenger to your Soutaichou sooner or later." She paused and looked him in the eyes. "But truthfully, you're Japanese like the rest of us, you really should be able to put two and two together," she said flatly.

. . . . . . . .

His brow furrowed. What could she mean by that?

_**'. . . Ooooooh. **_**I**_** get it. Cool...'**_

___'What do you mean?'_

_**'It's actually really obvious, Toushirou… think about it. She's got black wings; she comes from a royal family you've never heard of. You ran into an Ame-Onna earlier. What do all of these things point to?'**_

His eyes widened and he whispered, "Youkai…"

The girl nodded.

The wound on her collar bone finished healing up just then, and she stood. Stretching out her wings behind her, she mumbled, "I hope I haven't lost too many primary feathers…" Stepping out into the open, she spread her wings as if she were about to take off.

"Wait!" Toushirou called. She paused, and turned back to him. "What are you?" he asked, breathless.

At this she let out giggle that reminded him of the Ame-onna, except with more of a tinkle than a gurgle. She gave a sly grin, "Why, Hitsugaya-san, I'm a _Tengu._"

With this, she jumped into the sky, stirring up the fallen feathers in a flurry of black. Toushirou reached out for one of the shining feathers, and sure enough, he caught it. He stared down at the girl's feather in his hands. It was such a delicate, beautiful thing. He gathered a few more of the fallen feathers and went to report his findings.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The second full captains' meeting that day was a tad less organized than the first. They had obtained two new captains to fill in the empty places left by Aizen and Tousen. Ichimaru, to Toushirou's obvious disdain, got his spot back due to the fact that he was never really on Aizen's side. Abarai Renji had been placed as captain of the ninth, but the few knew exactly how the new captain of the fifth had gotten there. Her name was Nazo Sakana, and she had a tendency to act a bit… well, insane. Not like Aizen, but true, stereotypical insanity. Not mad, just. . . crazy.

The woman walked up to him the moment he entered, sporting her signature… grin. "Hello, there, Hitsugaya-kun…" She held out a large bass, holding it by the tail. "I got you a fish."

"Um…" he took the fish and held it away from him. It was wet… but fish were wet. "Thank you, Sakana-taichou…" her name did mean fish, but this…

Sakane clapped her hands together happily and went back to her seat.

Toushirou followed suit and sat at his spot, grimacing before setting the – the fish on the ground next to him.

Soutaichou spoke up. "Now that we are all present, Hitsugaya Toushirou shall report his findings."

Toushirou nodded. "I have met two of these creatures, both of them were rather benevolent and kind, but unlike what the reports said, they had near-human forms. The first one helped me put out the fires and had powers that controlled water. She merely identified herself as 'Ame-Onna.' The second was a winged woman named Shimizu Ao, who did not display any abilities other than accelerated healing and flight. She told me she was from a royal family, but I'd never heard of the 'Shimizu' family before. She informed me that they were Youkai, and that she was a Tengu," he finished. They weren't going to believe it.

They didn't. "Ridiculous," stated Soutaichou.

Just then, the doors burst open, revealing a single figure clad in dark purple. "I am looking for Yamamoto S. Genryusai," he announced clearly.

Soutaichou spoke. "That would be me. But who are you?" he boomed.

The figure approached Sou-taichou and bowed to one knee. "Sir, my name is Ichidou Tamashi, and I was sent by my liege, Shimizu Hakyu, to deliver a message."

When the man mentioned 'Shimizu', Toushirou jumped a bit. So this 'Hakyu' person would have to be Ao's father.

The man continued. "I could not help but overhear Hitsugaya-san's report, and I must ask a question before delivering my message." The man turned to Toushirou. Now he could see Ichidou's face, and the man was genuinely worried. "I – Is the princess alright?" he asked fervently.

Hitsugaya was a bit stunned by Ichidou's sincerity. "Went I found her, she was unconscious and covered with severe burns. I healed the worst wounds with kidou and she was able to walk and fly on her own."

The messenger sighed in relief. "I am glad." He turned back to Yamamoto, and delivered his message.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

** A/N:** Cliffie! But it's sort of obvious… whatever.

Soooo… yeah. Ha. Hope you liked it. Hitsugaya keep thinking of Ao, even though he doesn't realize it… ha. Ha. Haha. Sakana… is epic. But I shall be pairing her… with a canon character. That's a secret!


	5. Feathers

**A/N:** Omg I love Nazo Sakane. How could I not? She's a freaking nut-job and her name means 'Mysterious Fish'! But I swear, the only OCs in this story will be Sakane, Ao, Rentaro, Hakyu, Tamashi, Mira, and a Shirohebi that shall remain unnamed at this time.

Now we are getting into the romance part of this story. Don't worry, we'll get back to the action after Hakyu has his little field-day…

. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. .

The silver-haired Kitsune clan leader looked out over the battlefield, consisting of the entirety of Seireitei. Yes, the damage to the home of the Shinigami was great, but he could care less.

Rentaro had been uneasy when the Ame-onna and their water powers had joined the battle with the Tengu, but his fears were proved unnecessary. Ame-onna were a weaker, more delicate race of beings, very easy to kill. They dropped like flies before his clan's skilled warriors, and without their protection fire would run rampant amongst Seireitei. But what happened to the Soul Reapers was none of his concern, the elders had told him as much.

He hadn't wanted to alarm Ao earlier, so he had done his best to act like he normally would around her, playful and teasing, when in reality, he found that attitude inappropriate for this situation. Ao, his love, he had never seen the face behind the mask, for he had never been able to take it off her face. Deep inside, he'd desperately hoped, each time he went for her mask, that something had changed and he'd be able to remove it. Yet, it was not to be. With this war, a strain between their two clans would be created that may never be repaired.

"Retreat and regroup!" called her voice. He smiled to himself. For once she made a good decision. He turned, and his eyes widened. The great princess of the Shimizu clan, covered in mild burns, _mask-less._ She was as beautiful as he'd ever imagined, but what mattered to Rentaro was the faint lingering of a foreign reiatsu that clung to her essence. Rentaro scowled. It was the reiatsu of a _Shinigami._ Seething, he made note of the reiatsu signature. It seemed fairly recognizable, and if he ever found the one it belonged to…

. . . . . . . . . . .

Tamashi stood before the Captain-General. "Yamamoto Genryusai-soutaichou, my liege apologizes for the damages caused to your species' fine home. When this war is over we will provide assistance in rebuilding, including financial matters and the man-power. In return, we ask for your assistance against our enemy, the Kitsune. An alliance, if you will. We realize you are still recovering from a war of your own, and we apologize for not interfering, but our secrecy has been important up until now. My liege would like to stress the fact that you will not receive a similar offer from the Kitsune," Tamashi paused before continuing. "I personally will answer any questions you may have."

Sakane-taichou spoke up, sounding serious, for once. "You're not telling us something. There is a bigger threat and you know it. Something in the shadows that you don't want to tell us about."

The Tengu's eyes widened in surprise, and then looked back to Soutaichou. "Pardon me; it does seem I have forgotten something. The Kitsune are at war with us because they believe that my liege murdered their clan leader, while in truth he was framed by a what seemed like a rogue Shirohebi, a snake Youkai," he glanced at Sakane, then at Toushirou, then looked back to Yamamoto. "It seems you have some rather, ahem, _interesting_ characters among your Captains."

Soutaichou sat straighter. "What do you mean?"

Tamashi gestured to Hitsugaya. "The boy carries the essence of the Shimizu Princess," he looked at him, a sly grin on his face, "Took off the mask didn't you?"

Hitsugaya nodded curtly.

Tamashi rubbed his hands together. "Oh, this is gonna be great," he murmured to himself.

Soutaichou cleared his throat. "Ichidou Tamashi, tell Shimizu Hakyu that we will consider it, but tentatively, we may accept."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After she'd bandaged up the worst of her remaining wounds and cleaned up, Ao went to see her father. Entering the large room where her father was seated, she bowed. "Otosan," she greeted.

The somewhat kind-looking clan leader eyed her face for a moment. "You may rise."

She stood straight, her hands folded in front of her. "Otosan, even with the assistance of the Ame-Onna, our forces our grossly outnumbered. We are in desperate need of reinforcements."

Her father nodded. "Yes, I seem to have that taken care of. Shiramae Mira is coming, and she's bringing her clan with her. I've also sent Tamashi to talk to the Shinigami."

Ao smiled and nodded, acknowledging her understanding.

"By the way, sweetie, who took off your mask?"

Dammit, he caught her off guard. "I – It fell off."

He made a 'tsk-tsk' sound. "Ao-hime, it's not very princess-like to lie to daddy," he said jokingly.

She crossed her arms. It was just like her father to see through everything. Despite his cheerful disposition, he was one of the best clan leaders their family had ever seen. "His name is Hitsugaya Toushirou, and I believe him to be around my age. He may have saved my life," she paused as to give her father a chance to speak if he wished, but he stayed silent, listening intently. "He found me unconscious and healed the worst of my burns. He removed my damaged mask to check for burns on my face, unaware of the meaning behind it. I woke, and we conversed. That's it."

Her father seemed thoughtful. "Hitsugaya… why does that name ring a bell… hm. What species is he?"

Ao winced, "Shinigami."

"…Ah… well… _okay_, that's why. Hitsugaya is the Captain of the Tenth," her father was at obviously thinking of the odd-ness of that. His next question made her blush. "Is he cute?"

"_Daddy,_" she whined. "I just met him, and besides, I have to lead our army, I can't worry about this."

He shook his head. "Not any more. I'm taking you out of the front lines."

Her jaw dropped.

"We've got reinforcements, and since you now should be set, I don't need to hide behind my troops anymore, I'll be leading in your stead."

Ao furrowed her brow. "What do you mean 'I'm set?'"

He smirked. "Shinigami genes act like human's genes do, except with no exceptions. Shinigami plus Youkai equals Youkai. Shinigami plus Tengu equals Tengu. No if ands or buts."

"Oooooootoooooosaaaaaan!" Ao whined, blushing wildly.

Hakyu grinned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go talk to a certain captain…" he laughed, standing and walking out of the room.

Ao began to panic. "Wait! Dad! I just met him and he has no idea- Dad! DAD! You can't be serious… _**DAD**_!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hitsugaya sat at his desk, sifting through the seemingly endless piles of paperwork. Things were becoming weird fast, and things had been weird to begin with. He sighed, setting down the pen and retrieving a perfect black feather from his pocket. He leaned back in his chair, examining it, occasionally running a finger or two over the soft tendrils. The other feathers he'd collected had, oddly, disintegrated, while this one retained its form and shine. He supposed it was a Tengu thing, only some feathers didn't turn to ashes. Perhaps it was to make it impossible to track a Tengu by its feathers, if they happened to be injured. But that was beside the point. He couldn't leave the feather alone.

Shimizu Ao had left him completely stunned. But he could help but think he wasn't good enough for her. She was a Tengu, a kami, a mountain spirit, while he was a Shinigami, a Soul Reaper, once human, and once a lowly Rukon rat.

He sighed.

Matsumoto sat up from lying down on the couch. "Eh? That was two love-sick sighs in one minute," she turned and looked at him. "Taichou's got it bad for someone."

"No, Matsumoto, I don't, and if I did, it wouldn't concern you. Besides, Ao is way out of my league."

Rangiku tilted her head to the side. "And here you are mentioning this 'Ao' person again. You _do_ have it bad. And how could anybody be out of your league? You're a captain."

He returned to his paperwork. "We are done talking about this, Matsumoto."

"Fine," She crossed her arms and pouted, "Taichou doesn't like me." Then, a Hell butterfly fluttered in the open window and landed on Toushirou's desk.

_"A Mandatory Captain's meeting is being held."_

What, no 'you are to attend'? Well, there had been enough today, perhaps sou-taichou was merely forgoing the formalities. "I'm leaving, Matsumoto. When I get back, I expect this paperwork to be complete."

"You got it, Taichou!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Matsumoto had been napping on the couch in her taichou's office when she heard a knock on the door. Of course she answered it, but standing at the door were three men, dressed like off-duty samurai, with dark purple kimono. The one to the left even had a top-knot. Only, the one in the center seemed a lot more important, based mostly on the fact that his garb was a tad more intricate than that of the others.

"Um… Hello?"

"Hello, is this the office of Hitsugaya Toushirou?" asked to one in the middle.

She ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, but taichou's not here right now. I'm his lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku. I can deal with whatever it is that needs dealing with," she stepped away from the door. "Come on in and I'll get some _sa-ke_," she said, obviously separating the syllables.

The two to the side said "Tea would be fine," at the same time the one in the middle exclaimed "Ooo, sake!"

. . . . .

They sat at a low table in the office, Matsumoto and the important one downing sake while the other two sat in the corner drinking tea like fuddy-duddies.

"So you're this fabled Shimizu Hakyu, eh?" Matsumoto slurred, "And to what do I and my taichou own the pleasure?"

Hakyu took another sip of sake. "You see, my daughter wears masks that I had enchanted so only her and her soul-mate could easily remove them. It has come to my attention that your captain has been able to remove one."

Matsumoto stopped moving and stared at him. "This daughter of yours wouldn't happen to be named 'Ao', would she?"

He nodded. "Shimizu Ao-hime."

The voluptuous woman squealed. "Omigod, I don't think he realizes it but he mentions her a lot, and he hasn't put down that feather since he got it!"

Hakyu blinked. "Hitsugaya has one of my daughter's feathers? Then we must act sooner than I thought." He got up and turned to one of the men that had escorted him. "Ginhiou! Call Yura-chan and tell her she's got a week, a month tops!"

The one with the top-knot saluted, "Yes, Shimizu-sama," and left.

Rangiku was confused. Something was going on here. "What kind of action are we taking here?" she asked.

Hakyu grinned. "Do you know how _long_ I've been waiting for someone to pluck that mask off her face? Too long, Matsumoto-san, way too long." He told her what he was planning.

And Matsumoto fainted.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** This is one of the shorter chapters I think. Anyways, can anyone guess what Hakyu-kun is planning?

Ah, I just love Hakyu… for some reason, I have a knack for making complex characters. It just happens, I try to make a pointless character, and if I give them any attention at all then they just blossom into this complexity that is beginning to overwhelm me. I have too many OCs goddammit!


	6. Mira's Fury

**A/N:** Here's some important plot advancement, but if it weren't for Hakyu and his 'Epic Trollololol' status, we wouldn't be in this situation.

Hitsugaya may seem a little OOC at first… And we're about to learn a lot about Shiramae Mira…

Oh, and a little hint, when someone says Shimizu-sama, they are referring to Hakyu, when they say Shimizu-hime, that's Ao.

. . . . . … . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"I have to _what?_" Hitsugaya exclaimed.

They were at the Shimizu main house, and he and Matsumoto were seated in traditional seiza, with their legs tucked beneath them. Ao was sitting next to her father, blushing wildly and examining her fingernails. Matsumoto and Hakyu on the other hand, both seemed ecstatic.

Hakyu smirked. "It doesn't have to mean anything – yet – I just want to get it over with. If you want to redo it in a few years or so to get the full emotion out of the ordeal then that's fine. I just don't want Rentaro coming up with legit reasons to stalk outside my little girl's bedroom in the middle of the night, anymore."

Ao looked up. "Rentaro's been a stalker-creeper? I had no idea."

Hakyu kept smiling. "Yeah. I caught him thrice. He had really good reasons all three times."

"Wait, what were _you_ doing outside my room in the middle of the night?"

"… Fatherly things, sweetheart," he paused then continued joyfully. "So, Hitsugaya-san, I repeat, will you marry Ao?"

"Um… I'm not sure…"

"Actually, you have no say in the matter. Not really. Only these really obscure exceptions exist. I don't even know them," Ao said softly. "I had the mask examined, and the enchantment was not faulty. And, my father has informed me that one of my feathers, my _primaries_, is in your possession. That in and of itself binds you to me, stronger than any ceremony possibly could, so marriage itself would basically be pointless. The only change would be I'd be a missus and we'd have an extra name tagged on to the two we have now. And as my father said, it would only be securing our status, for since we're soul-mates marriage would only be inevitable. We can get to know each other as husband and wife. But at this point, don't think of it as marriage, think of it as more like a promise to love, eventually. I mainly say this because marriage implies consummation, which won't be necessary at this point."

Matsumoto tilted her head. "Woah, Shimizu-hime, you've been thinking about this."

She smiled meekly. "Yeah. It's sort of a big deal, unlike my father makes it seem."

Hitsugaya thought over what she said. She'd sounded so mature, serious when she'd spoken. "I'm hearing a lot of the phrase 'at this point.' When would these things be required or thought of?"

Hakyu sighed. "When you both agree to or I die. Because if I am gone than that would make Ao-hime the stand-in clan leader. She would remain so until she were able to produce a male heir, in which case the title would be passed to you until the child is old enough."

Toushirou paused. "I have to worry about my duties as a captain. I can't drop everything to become a clan leader."

Ao piped up, "Kuchiki Byakuya is the head of his clan and a successful captain."

"And he practically runs himself into the ground. He doesn't have a wife to worry about, or children. Only Kuchiki Rukia; and Kuchiki-san's pretty self-sufficient."

The Tengu clan leader frowned (for once), raising an eyebrow, "Are you trying to imply that I'm going to die out there? Because that's the only situation where you would become clan leader."

Hyorinmaru, surprisingly, had been silent this whole time. Hitsugaya sighed. It was a fairly reasonable proposal (no pun intended), and he had a nagging feeling that he really should be thinking this through with his heart, not his mind. In truth, Shimizu Ao totally… utterly… amazed him. Earlier that very day, he had thought her, a higher being, out of his league completely, but here they were. He wasn't sure, but if the offer had come later, maybe after the conflict with the Youkai, then he would have said 'yes' ten minutes ago. Finally, he sighed again, and said, "I suppose."

Hakyu looked like a sad puppy. "You think I'm gonna die?"

"OF COURSE NOT! Ao-hime, your father is worse than Kurosaki Isshin."

Getting the reference, she quashed a giggle, snorting cutely in the process.

Hitsugaya continued. "I said that, yes, Shimizu-sama, I will marry your daughter."

Matsumoto squealed in happiness. Why was she even there, anyways? He caught Ao's eyes for a moment, she looked… relieved with a hint of fear.

Hakyu clapped his hand happily. "Wonderful!"

"But," Toushirou started, "I think that the betrothal should last at least until after the war."

Ao nodded slightly. Hakyu noticed this and said, "Of course."

The room was suddenly very cold. Even Toushirou got the shivers. Rangiku squealed. "Taichou… what's wrong?"

His brow furrowed. "It's not me." He let his eyes wander until they fell upon the woman standing in the doorway. It looked like… Kuchiki Rukia's Zanpakuto, actually, back from when all their Zanpakuto decided to rebel.

Her eyebrows were crunched together in anger. "Shimizu-sama," she said coldly.

The Tengu clan leader perked up, oblivious to the freezing cold. "Shiramae-san, you're here, great to see you."

She walked over to the group and gestured to the pair of Shinigami. "Who are these people?"

Shimizu stumbled over his words for a moment before replying, "This is Matsumoto Rangiku, Lieutenant of the Tenth Division, and this is Hitsugaya Toushirou, Captain of the Tenth and…" he trailed off.

It got colder. "And what, Hakyu?"

He gulped. "Ao's fiancé."

Ice was creeping up the walls as the temperature reached sub-zero. The woman's shoulders tensed. "Ao's… fiancé?"

A few moments of tense silence passed. Suddenly, Toushirou found himself being pulled up by the neck of his Shihakusho. "Hey, what're you-"

She had ducked down to his height, and she didn't have to duck much do his sudden growth spurt he'd experienced a few years ago. The woman was furious, "_When it comes to Hakyu, I understand a little bit of IDIOCY,"_ she shrieked the last word, "_But you, what makes you so special? What makes you think you deserve to marry a Tengu princess?"_

Hitsugaya was about to be angry at this Shiramae woman, what authority did she have over him, anyways? But when he actually _looked_ at her, he saw a face he'd promised himself he'd never forget. It was still the Shiramae woman, but her face… her eyes... they were the same color as…

Ice.

He was staring at Shimizu Ao's face.

But it was Shiramae's face. Which meant…

"You're Shimizu-hime's mother," he breathed.

Her expression transformed from that of anger to that of shock. Shiramae released her hold on him and backed away. The temperature rose a bit. "Perceptive little boy," she whispered, startled.

Toushirou turned his gaze to Ao, who seemed just as shocked – if not more so – as Shiramae. "What is this about?" She turned to Shimizu-sama, "Otosan, is this true?"

Now it was even colder. "_You never told her?"_ Shiramae spun around to face the nervous clan leader. "_Hakyu, what the HELL is wrong with you?"_

Hakyu was now standing, holding his hands up in a defensive position. "Now, now, Mira, let's not panic…"

_"I'm not panicking, Hakyu, I'm _furious!"

Matsumoto, apparently, finally decided to say something. "Um… Shiramae-sama? I may not know too much about nobles, but from my layman's perspective, you're conduct wouldn't necessarily be appropriate."

Hitsugaya scoffed, "Matsumoto, you're conduct is barely ever appropriate. How can you speak on that topic?"

Shiramae huffed, but the temperature began to rise again. Her shoulders relaxed and she shut her eyes for a moment. "Matsumoto-san… thanks. I think."

Suddenly, a girl in a bright pink kimono ran in carrying armfuls of scrolls. "Shimizu-sama!" she called.

The clan leader acknowledged her, "Yura-chan."

She dropped the scrolls on the table and spread one out. It was covered in numbers and sketches and little notes here and there. "I've got the plans done! All in one night, too. I left nothing out. It might be a little costly, but it will be fun and memorable."

Hakyu was silent for a second, "Well, I think we'll be wanting something small and simple."

"Awww. Do you know how often it is that I get to plan weddings this intricate? Once or twice in my entire life."

He looked sincerely remorseful, "Sorry, Yura-chan. Maybe in a few more years."

She sighed. "Fine." Gathering up her materials, she left the room.

Hitsugaya tilted his head to the side. "Who was that?"

"Amane Yura, the royal wedding planner."

Matsumoto gasped. "Ooo! Ooo! Can the Shinigami Women's Association collaborate with her to plan it? Please? Please? Please? PLEASE?"

Hakyu shrugged. "Sure."

Of course, he had absolutely no idea what he agreeing to there.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hey."

Ao turned to face him. "Hey."

He nodded. "So. We're engaged."

She shifted her weight to her other foot. "Yeah."

They were in the hallway near the kitchens, in other words, as far away from Mira as possible. "Well, it seems we're missing something," he said, his arms crossed.

Ao blinked, and twirled a strand of ebony hair around her finger on her left hand. "What?"

Gently, he grabbed her hand, pointing to her ring finger. "There should be something on this finger."

She gasped quietly. "You're… you really are serious about this."

Toushirou nodded. "I see this as a once in a lifetime chance. If I refused I'd never get a similar offer. And it's not just about marrying into a mythical royal family. You're an amazing girl, Ao-hime."

She felt herself blush, and had the sudden urge to cover her face with her hands.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps.

"Shimizu-hime?"

. . . . . . . . . . .. . .

Shiramae Mira = Tsundere. All the way.

So. Cliffie. Who is it? I'm actually revealing stuff waaaaay sooner than I wanted to, but I like this. Lol.

REVIEW!


	7. Peach Blossoms

_That evening, two other figures met in the shadows…_

"Thank you for arriving on such short notice," the short girl said softly. "You can't even imagine how much this will mean to Soul Society."

The other one much taller, brandishing a large sword on his back. "Well, it's not like I could refuse. Your home is in trouble, Rukia. Of course I'd help."

Kuchiki Rukia smiled. "Come on, let's go see Soutaichou and tell him you and the gang are here to help."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As they entered the meeting hall, Ichigo was surprised to see that the rest of them had already gathered. Of course, once Chad, Uryu, and Orihime found out he was going to Soul Society, they insisted on coming along to help. Then once he confronted Hat-and-Clogs to open the Senkaimon, the damn shopkeeper told him he was only opening the Senkaimon if he could come with. Something about being curious about these new creatures, or whatever. After that, Yoruichi found out and kicked Urahara for not inviting her, promptly deciding to "crash" the "party".

And so here they were.

Ichigo sat down and promptly got to business. "So, what the hell are these things?"

The man in a dark violet Shihakusho-like uniform cleared his throat. "We are Youkai, Karasaku-san," he started.

He blinked, totally ignoring that the man had completely butchered his name. "Youkai? As in, like, Tsumigumo and Amazake-Babaa?"

And so, Tamashi launched into the whole explanation about his clan and the Soma clan, and how Shimizu Hakyu was framed, and the outbreak of the war.

Ichigo blinked. "Well, from what you just said it sounds like we should be going after these Shirohebi things, not the Kitsune, right?"

The Tengu ambassador looked uncomfortable, "You see, that where it gets complicated. Unlike the Shimizu family, the Soma family has to follow the decree of the family elders. Terusai didn't have much real power, he was more of a figurehead. Although my liege and Soma Terusai were close friends, Kitsune and Tengu simply don't like each other. There is much lingering tension from the Fifth Senka War, although that was two-hundred years ago. The Soma elders were very much alive during that war and still hate the, as they call us, 'filthy birds.' They would jump at any way to get back at us, seeing that we won the Senka."

"Tamashi-san, it seems as if this is all about these 'Senka.' I've never heard that term used before," Uryu piped in.

If the ambassador uncomfortable before, now he was utterly perturbed. "Well, a Senka Maiden is a human girl whose blood grants long life, her flesh immortality, and if the head of a Youkai clan makes the Senka his wife, then the clan will prosper. They are normally identified early on and watched, and she's rather easy to identify by her heightened spiritual perception and an extremely powerful aura she gives off that only Youkai can sense."

Kuchiki Byakuya actually looked rather disturbed. "Basically, what you're saying is that you Youkai spirit away this unfortunate young girl in order to improve their clan?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that. Without the protection of a superior Youkai like a Tengu or Kitsune, the Senka Maiden would be continually attacked by minor Youkai trying to drink her blood and eat her flesh. By continually, I don't mean every once and a while, I mean every single second of every single day she would be beset by hordes of demons from the day she turns sixteen until they kill her. And more often than not, there is some form of consent from the girl before she is taken to be the wife of a clan leader. We do not seek your approval, but I am sure all of us would much appreciate it if you did not question our ways, Kuchiki-san," Tamashi finished pointedly.

Before Byakuya could retaliate, Yamamoto cleared his throat loudly. "Now that our guests have been briefed on the situation, this meeting is dismissed."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. .

"I asssssure you, Ssssshimizu-sssssama, we did not initiate an attack againsssst you," the deathly pale woman… hissed.

"Then explain why one of your kind framed me for killing Soma Terusai," Hakyu replied, rubbing his temples. Shirohebi women could be so disagreeable. As much as he hated diplomatic actions with them, they were necessary, and no one said he had to _like_ doing it.

"I have no ssssssuch knowledge of thisssss incident. We have nothing againsssssst Ssssssoma Terussssai. Perhapsssss if you dissssscribed the assssssassssin to me, I could be of ssssome assssissstance."

Hakyu exhaled. "She was short, and very stealthy. I didn't notice her until she was directly behind Soma. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail… she had this really weird laugh… it was like a cackle. And… I remember thinking that her eyes were odd… they were sort of orangish instead of the typical crimson-"

The Shirohebi clan leader let out a hiss in disgust. "That woman isss no Chihana clan Sssshirohebi! That filth…"

"You know of her?"

The snake-woman scoffed. "I wisssh that I did not. That ssscum wasss banissshed for betraying the family. Sssshe murdered my eldesssst granddaughter, the heir apparent. Lasssst I heard ssshe was living in the outer dissstrictsss of Rukongai."

The Tengu clan leader didn't like this new development. It meant that some outside force seeking to royal fuck him up the ass.

The sad part was that they were succeeding.

"Thank you for your time, Chihana-sama," he said as he rose from his seat.

"My pleasssssure," she said with a hint of disdain painting her gaunt face.

. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

Orihime was staying in the thirteenth division barracks, due to the fact that she was already familiar with the place. It was late, so late that even the fighting had ceased for the evening.

She pulled on her nightgown and looked at her face in the mirror.

It had been a year since Ichigo and Tatsuki had gotten married.

The red-hair beauty sighed tired as she grasped the hair brush.

She'd been the maid of honor, but oh, how she had yearned to object. But no. Those two were made for each other. She couldn't ruin that. She could never hurt her two best friends that way.

After that, Ishida began to grow distant. Of course, half of Seireitei had attended the wedding, including those of the Twelve Division, to Ichigo's disdain. Apparently, during the time when they were in Soul Society to save Rukia, Uryu encountered Kurotsuchi Nemu. He'd been touched by her devotion and she was impressed (even if she didn't show it) by his bravery to stand up to her father.

You do the math.

Chad went next. Division Four had attended as well. He was likely one of the tallest guys she'd ever met (if you didn't count Arrancar, because Nnoitra won in the height category) and with Isane's skittishness she matched up well with strong yet gentle Chad. And he was taller than her. Go figure.

She yanked the brush through her hair, fiery threads getting caught between the bristles.

Everyone else had their special someone.

But her?

No.

The closest she'd ever gotten to truthfully loving someone that wasn't Ichigo was Ulquiorra. We all knew the end of that little fairytale. The sad, tragic end that she never really got over, that dark scar that still sometimes ached.

Inoue Orihime was alone.

Every single chance for love she'd ever gotten was mercilessly wrenched away from her, torn from her fingers by fate, as if it was her love was simply a toy coveted by a cruel playground bully.

It made her want to scream.

Grabbing a hair clip, she pinned her hair up in a loose bun.

Her cheerful mask was beginning to slip. She was running out of excuses for why her eyes were red and puffy every morning. In fleeting moments, her eyes would fully show the agony and loneliness of a lost soul.

It had been a year, and people were only just starting to notice. _A year._

Sighing, she left the small bathroom into the adjacent bedroom.

Sometimes, she wished she was a princess, captive by an evil dragon. Then her knight in shining armor would come to spirit her away.

She set her Shun-Shun-Rikka on the nightstand and crawled into bed, unbeknownst to the frenzy she had just incited.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .

_ SENKA!_

_ I can smell her!_

_ A Senka Maiden!_

_ A Senka Maiden in Seireitei!_

_ Drink her blood…_

_Devour her flesh…_

_ We must have her!_

_ A barrier?_

_ Barrier?_

_ Big orb around white city bad!_

_ Accursed spirit wards!_

_ Grr… just wait!_

_ The moment she leaves the protection of the Shinigami…_

_ …she belongs to US!_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rentaro's eyes flashed open.

_ It cannot be…_

He slid out of bed, and shrugged on his coat, striding over to the window.

He knew that scent.

Throwing open the window, he leaned out into the cool night air.

It smelled like flowers, sunshine, and happiness, all mixed into one sensual fragrance. But if he concentrated really hard, he could swear it smelled reminiscent of peaches.

Peaches?

_…Senka…_

A Senka? In Seireitei? His luck had taken a bright turn. The Tengu didn't have a male heir at the moment, and he doubted that any of the other major clans had surfaced enough to catch this wonderful aroma.

Oh, but he had no idea a Senka would smell this heavenly. This glorious scent that was assaulting his entire being and making him melt. Whoever the Senka was, she had to be beautiful.

He would need no permission from the elders to pursue her. They would approve without hesitation. A Senka Maiden was one of the best things that could happen to a clan.

Without any hesitation, he leaped out the window and into the night.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Nazo-taichou?" Hitsugaya asked, bewildered.

The normally manic taichou looked calm and collected her turquoise Kimono, she bowed ever so slightly. "Konban wa, Shimizu-hime, Hitsugaya-taichou."

Ao's face brightened. "Ah, Nazo-sama, how are you and your sisters doing?"

She smiled softly. "Ah, we old ladies are doing just fine, thank you, dear."

"Oh, you're not that old," Ao replied with a laugh.

"Older than eight Shimizu Hakyus."

Ao pursed her lips. "Hmm, maybe you are kind of on the ancient side."

Sakane laughed, "More like legendary, it feels like these days."

Toushirou blinked. "Wait a minute, how do you guys know each other?"

The Shimizu princess blushed slightly. "Oh, where are my manners?"

"Well, from what I 've gathered, they went on a luxury cruise the moment that mask came off," Toushirou dead-panned.

Her eyes opened wide as she sputtered. Nazo-taichou laughed.

The odd Taichou bowed a bit at the waist. "My true name is indeed Nazo Sakane, but I am not a Shinigami. My Zanpakuto is actually just a plain katana. In reality, Hitsugaya-taichou, I am a Fijin."

"Fijin?"

"Wind kami."

Ao recovered. "More like _the_ wind kami! She and her three sisters are the only ones left. And will always be because sometime… a looooo-ooong time ago, they ate a Senka Maiden."

"Eww," Hitsugaya said, taken aback.

The Fijin grinned gently, "It actually happened quite a lot back then, clans that follow the female line getting ahold of a Senka. Nowadays, those clans have either died out or have don't need it, like the Nazo clan, and the Chihana Shirohebi clan."

"Ah…" Such strange people were making their way into this mess… Hitsugaya could only wonder.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .

**A/N:** Yeeeeeeessssss. Beautiful chapter…

I had been planning to pair Orihime with Rentaro for a few chapters, but I just came up with the Senka idea a few weeks ago. Only today did I get this wonderful inspiration for our lovely emo-hime. XD

Senka Maidens are a HUGE factor in this story as you can see in this chapter.

(No, ShadowStalkerBelarus, Orihime is not going to get boned.)

(Yes, Mickaela, I paired Ichi with Tatsuki. Ichitats FTW)

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! (The persons mentioned above BETTER review, or they will learn the true wrath of SUPERYUUKI!)


	8. Found

**A/N: **Ya know what sucks? Vomiting. I've gotten used to it by now, though. Eh. I have a very sensitive digestive system that reacts negatively to changes in routine. And cheap school chicken patties. XD

I ordered volume 12 and 20 of Bleach! :D For those of you who don't have the contents of each volume memorized, Volume 20 is the one with Gin on the front, titled "End of Hypnosis". Sound familiar? Aizen's betrayal. Hopefully, also the one where Momo gets stabbed :D I hate her _so_ much. I have the 3rd Bleach Musical "No Clouds in the Blue Heavens" downloaded onto my Sony Walkman and part 8 is Fuyu no Hanabi and Kore wa Maboroshi Ja Nai (The songs), and I watch it over and over and over again_. "Sayonara," Aizen says. Hinamori takes a few slow steps back "…Uso!" and collapses. Aizen begins to walk from center stage toward the right, where Gin is standing, "[Let's go, Gin]" Gin smiles more maliciously than usual, "Hai, Aizen-taichou."_ I love that. Gin _mocks_ her. It was beautiful… if you ever get the chance, watch parts 15 and 16 on Youtube. Part 15 has "This is Another World" and part 16 has "Catharsis of Eternity", where Gin, Tousen, and Aizen _dance_. They _dance_. You can hear the fan-girl squeals of "KYA!" from the audience. Also, Unohana's "Oyasumi Nasai" is pretty good, "Fuyu no Hanabi" is classic, and "Hitori Ja Nai" sung by Rukia is uplifting. Don't ask me which parts those are in. I can't remember. XD

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Nor do I own the concept of Senka Maidens (that belongs to Sakurakoji-sensei). I own only my OCs, my San-bantai (third division) Lieutenants' badge, and my dignity (That last one is questionable).**

**BTW, Kan is the monetary unit used in Soul Society. Urahara Shouten accepts Yen and Kan.**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .

"_Is this a dream?_

_If it is, please don't wake me from this high._

_I'd become comfortably numb_

_Until you opened up my eyes."_

_Kelly Clarkson - You Found Me_

Of course she had sensed _that_. The delicious, intoxicating scent that only males should be able smell. She could smell it because she had once tasted it. The flesh of a Senka was sweet, and melted beautifully on her tongue like the most gourmet of meats.

She looked at her reflection in the mirrior.

"Nee-chan! Do you smell that?" called one of her younger sisters.

She grinned largely, revealing a mouth of sharp, pointed teeth made for ripping… "I smell it."

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Hakyu walked down the streets of the eightieth district of Rukongai, Zaraki, too far from Seireitei to detect the sweet scent of Senka, which, if he were near, he would sense immediately, for he had, in a sense, _devoured_ a Senka Maiden before. His late wife, Kaneko Hotaru, he indeed missed her dearly, but now was not the time.

The Zaraki district was a bit more that a huge cluster of dilapidated shelters. There were a few stray souls wandering, some gathered in corners. Thugs, beggars, and petty thieves, for the most part, but if he was lucky, he'd find some rogue or gang leader, someone more in the know.

The clan leader approached a group of scruffy teenagers gathered on a street corner, with a few bottles of cheap sake smashed on the ground. As he neared them, the supposed ringleader of the group noticed him and laughed. "Hey boys, check out this shit!" he said.

Hakyu didn't show fear. He wasn't scared that these guys would do anything sketchy, it what he would have to do to them in retaliation that made him edgy. "I'm looking for someone," Hakyu told the group strongly. "A woman about four-six with extremely pale skin and black hair and orange eyes." The leader of the group stiffened slightly, but the Tengu continued, "She would probably be somewhat secretive, and would likely speak softly or have an odd accent."

"Drop-dead gorgeous?" the head-honcho inquired.

Hakyu nodded.

The boy gestured for the group to come closer. They discussed in whispers for a few moments before pulling apart. The boy stepped closer to the Tengu, "She calls herself Chiume," he said in hushed tones. This made sense. They would be scared shitless by a Shirohebi. She likely wasn't all too subtle about her abilities, not out here. "I don't know where she lives, but her usual haunts are usually the bar in the southern part of the district and…" he leaned in closer, "She hangs out in this grove in the forest, ya see? I dunno what she does out there, but I know it can't be good. You didn't hear this from us, ya got that?"

The clan leader nodded and handed the boy a few Kan. "Thank you. I'll come to you if I need any other information, sirs. Good day to you."

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Slipping silently into the Thirteenth division barracks was almost too easy. It was wartime, should they not have more guards?

Her room was extremely non-descripit. No personalizations, not a single picture or trinket on the shelves, in fact, the room barely smelled of her. It was as if this was her first time being in this room. Actually, that was rather plausible. Humans weren't often allowed in Seireitei, the only exception was that Kurosaki Ichigo and his comrades. This was probably one of his friends.

The purple-eyed teen gazed down at the Senka. Her burnt orange hair pooled beneath her on the pillow. Her lovely, childish features, though, were stained with tears. Her beautiful face…

Rentaro reached out a hand to gently brush a strand of hair out of her visage. She stirred, but did not awake.

Were all Senka this beautiful? He'd meet Kaneko Hotaru once, and while she had been lovely, this young woman was perhaps the epitome of the human race. She was thousand times more beautiful than Shimizu Ao.

A stray tear began to fall down her face, gently, he wiped the offending droplet of water away. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. What enchanting eyes she had! The color of storm clouds and silver, such hues indicated hidden power beneath her soft exterior. What puzzled him the most was the experience held in her eyes. This girl had been through more than one her age should ever have to be.

She was startled, but surprisingly calm. "N-nani? Who are you?" she asked. Ah, her voice was like the singing of birds on a pleasant spring day…

He smiled softly. "My name is Rentaro. What's yours?" he asked. Perhaps her name was as resplendent as her figure.

The woman sat up, propping herself up on her elbows. "Inoue Orihime... why… what are you doing here?" she asked in a confused tone. He was right. Her name was absolutely celestial.

His smile held as he tilted his head to the side slightly. "Have you heard of Senka Maidens, Orihime-san?"

Her eyes widened and her expression became alarmed. "S-senka? Like Tengu-san told us about?"

Rentaro raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. Well, if a Tengu had told her, than the information was probably correct. "Yes, those Senka."

Orihime's face remained alarmed. "What about them, Rentaro-san?"

The Kitsune stepped forward and place his hand on either of her cheeks. "Well, Orihime-san, I'm a clan leader. The Soma clan, to be precise," he stated.

The woman's shocked features were more obvious. "S-Soma? K-K-Kitsune…?"

"Yes, 'Hime, Kitsune." He allowed his tails to materialize, all nine of them. "And guess what, 'Hime?

"N-nani?"

He grinned a toothy grin, showing the very subtle fangs that were his incisors. "You're the Senka Maiden."

She looked completely terrified now. "Y- you're not gonna eat me, are you?"

Rentaro blinked. He threw his head back and let out a laugh. "Of course not, 'Hime," he said once he finished.

Orihime relaxed visibly.

"You're going to become my bride."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:**__This chapter is Exhibit A in best ending lines ever. Woohoo! Yay for ultimatums!

Thanks to Thesaurus . com, I was able to write this. Rentaro just had too many words for 'Beautiful'.

Rentaro: I'm a noble. I need to be very charismatic.

Hitsugaya: What are you talking about! You scared the poor girl half to death!

Ao: I'm not surprised. Rentaro may be my ex-BFF, but he's a creep.

Rentaro: *face-palm* thank you, Ao-hime.


	9. The Ally of my Enemy

**A/N:** If platinumsabr happens to be reading this, I only emulated What the Eyes Can't See because in my eyes that's canon. XD I haven't used everything though. I changed quite a bit. And this doesn't involve any aspects of A New Window (well, except one little thing) so… yeah.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Creatures of Myth

Chapter Nine: The Ally of my Enemy

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"_Out on your own_

_Cold and alone again_

_Can this be what you really wanted, baby?"_

_**Lacrymosa, Evanescence**_

. . . . . . .

Preferably, he would have the enemy coming to him, but _no_, he had to trek around in this hopelessly dense and muddy forest to look for one clearing out of a hundred with no way to define one from the other, except for the unlikely presence of the one that would be occupying said clearing.

Great. Just great.

He'd already come across twelve clearings, and he was beginning to get irritated. Now, he was usually a fairly well tempered man, but Chihana Chiume was eluding him to his wits' end. He could've sworn he'd spotted swatches of maroon fabric before they disappeared without so much as the rustling of leaves.

While Shirohebi men tended to be utter pansies, the women were a different matter altogether. Spiteful, sneaky, and cruel, that was a basic description of the average Shirohebi woman.

Hakyu pushed aside a branch and began to step into the clearing, when a sudden whistling sound ran by his ear followed closely by a "_thunk._" Eyes wide, the clan leader turned towards the sound to see a Kunai knife embedded into the tree next to him. A piece of paper hung from the handle. He yanked the Kunai out of the tree and read the message quietly to himself.

"_Long time no see, Tengu-kun."_

Shimizu chuckled softly. "I suppose you are go to insist on communicating via Kunai?" he said loudly, "There is one flaw in that. Eventually I'll be able to discern your location from the directions of the Kunai."

_Whoosh… thunk!_

He snatched the Kunai, which was on a different tree, and had come in from an entirely different angle. _"As you can see, I have my ways. I've already changed positions by the time the Kunai hit the tree."_

"Clever…" he muttered.

_Whoosh… thunk!_

"_Indeed."_

The Tengu sweat-dropped. "Well, let's get down to business. Who hired you?"

_Whoosh… Thunk!_

This one came from the north. The last one came from the west. He stood at the south. _"If I told you, I'd have to kill you, and then my client would kill me."_

He furrowed his brow at this. "Seems like a bit of a testy client, huh?"

_Whoosh… thunk! _Northwest.

"_My client is a powerful one. My client does not tolerate failure or disobedience."_

There were only so many powerful beings that would scare this woman, he'd gathered that much, and he was pretty sure he didn't rank among those few. Perhaps a dragon would scare her, and Amaterasu herself. Hakyu snorted at the thought. There was a fine line between fearlessness and stupidity. He guessed that in this woman's case it was the latter.

He could easily narrow down the list. "What does this client of your hope to achieve?"

_Whoosh… Thunk!_ East.

"_I am merely an agent. I know not of my clients' reasons."_

"Interesting way to put that. So there are more than one?" He tensed, loosening his wings from where he held them. She had a pattern.

There was a heavily pause before a Kunai flew out of the foliage once more, this time from the northeast, aimed right at his forehead. Of course, Hakyu moved, darting towards the North the moment she threw the Kunai. Propelled by his wings, he dived into the forest, ramming right into a lithe form.

"Umph!" Together they tumbled into the foliage, both of them receiving a hefty number of cuts and bruises.

When their momentum finally wore off and they came to a halt, Hakyu had the Shirohebi's wrists in his hand holding them above her head as she stuggled to escape. "Let go of me, Ssshimizu!"

The Tengu clan leader frowned. "No. Not until you tell me who sent you to kill Soma Terusai! Because I know you had had no motive!"

Chiume scowled. "Have your sssensssesss dulled, Tengu? Sssurely you must sssmell the intoxicatingly sssweet ssscent that now covers all of Ssseireitei?"

He was tired of her games. "Make sense now or I'll-" he stopped. He smelled… something. It was weak, but it was there. It was a familiar something, and it was enough to put him on high alert. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch the smell. As the slight traces of happiness, sunshine, and most of all, _peaches_, wafted into his mind, it clicked.

Whoever wanted Terusai dead merely wanted chaos that would wrack havoc in Seireitei, just enough so the Gotei Thirteen would call in their famed hero, Kurosaki Ichigo, and his human friends. Of course, while the Tengu had not gotten involved in the Winter War or Aizen's Defection, they had indeed kept very close tabs on the matter. Among Kurosaki's human – rather, mostly human, for he was unsure as to whether a Quincy and a Full-bringer could be called human – was one completely human Inoue Orihime. Surely her abilities, the ever mysterious Shun-Shun-Rikka, held some power that had repelled minor Youkai for the past, what? Four years? She was twenty now, right? Anyways, surely her hairpins would have had some barrier against the Youkai that had kept her safe and undetectable for all these years. And in the World of the Living she wouldn't have much trouble these days, for the Youkai had still been hibernating and hiding in the aftermath of the Fifth Senka War. But now, now she wasn't in the World of the Living, and now the Youkai had awoken.

Oh kami. For the first time in his life, Hakyu found himself praying that the Kitsune had gotten her, for the only other clans that had awakened were female lines, and female lines ate Senka Maidens.

A sharp pain dug into his arm.

Repelling from the pain, Hakyu jumped to his feet. While he had zoned out, the Shirohebi had somehow managed to twist her way up and bite him.

He fell right back to the ground.

The Shirohebi stood, sighing. "Come on," she hefted his slowly shutting down body over her petite shoulder. "Can't have you dying now, can we? Then little Hitsssugaya would die from the ssstressss of taking over your clan, Ssshimizu."

His last thought before he passed out was how the hell had she known about that.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nanao stood at the podium. "This week's Shinigami Women's Association meeting will now come to order." She adjusted her glasses before picking up the agenda. "First thing on the list is…" She stared blankly at the sheet for a few moments before sighing and turning the paper so the gathered females could see what was written. "Matsumoto, I know this is your handwriting. This joke is in bad taste. I mean, while planning an imaginary wedding for Hitsugaya-taichou would prove to be amusing, we have more important matters to see to, such as the next outing-"

The strawberry blond laughed. "It's not a joke! Taichou is really going to get married!"

Hinamori tilted her head. "Shiro-chan is getting married?"

Soi Fon snorted. "To whom, pray tell, is Hitsugaya Toushirou getting married to?" she asked sarcastically.

Matsumoto pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm getting the feeling that you guys don't believe me. Anyways, she should be here in a few minutes. I told her to come."

There was a tentative knock at the door.

Yachiru sprung up. "I'll get it!" she exclaimed cheerfully. She tapped the hidden panel on the wall and it slid upwards, revealing a slightly startled Shimizu Ao.

Matsumoto jumped up and embraced the girl in a crushing hug. "And here she is!"

Of course, while they all had heard of the name Shimizu Ao, they had never seen her before. But, they _did_ recognize the deep violet Shihakusho-style garb that she wore. Rukia gasped. "You can't be serious, Matsumoto-fukutaichou! That's a Tengu!"

"Um… 'that?'" Ao repeated flatly. "I've got a name…" she said, embarrassed.

"Oh yeah!" Matsumoto piped up. "I forgot to tell them who you are!" Matsumoto straightened and turned towards the group. "I present to you, fellow Shinigami, Hitsugaya Toushirou's Fiancée and Princess of the Shimizu Clan, Shimizu Ao!"

Silence.

"Um… you didn't need to be so formal, Matsumoto-san…"

It was Hinamori that reacted first. She got up from her seat and approached Ao. "Oh my gosh, I have so many embarrassing stories I can tell you about Shiro-chan! We're gonna be best friends, I swear! And I better be the maid of honor!" she giggled.

Yachiru wrapped herself around the princess's leg. "So you and Grumpy, huh? Maybe you can make him do less paperwork!"

Unohana smiled. "Congratulations, Shimizu-hime."

Ao blinked at all the attention. This was new. Even in her own home no one even talked to this much. "Thank you… Unohana-taichou? I think." She looked around. "Doesn't Nazo-sama usually come to these meetings?"

Nanao cleared her throat. "Yes, Nazo-taichou usually attends, but today she had a more important engagement."

"Oh." Ao said lamely.

Nanao sighed. "But it seems we have a wedding to plan."

The collective shouts of "YAY!" left her ears ringing for hours.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tatsuki turned out the light and crawled into bed. Of course, if it hadn't been for her condition she'd be in Soul Society with Ichigo, and she wouldn't be bothered by the emptiness of the space next to her.

It had been a few years since they had discovered her powers. They had gone to Urahara the moment things got unusual, and he was right on the money, of course. When Yammy had used that Soul sucking thing, it had taken part of her soul, and from that emptiness a knew being was born. Her hollow. Not nearly as strong as Ichigo's but strong nonetheless. What was left of her soul needed a basis on which it could be stable, so Ichigo had did for her what Rukia had done for him. Gave her part of his powers. Of course, through many trails and misadventures, they'd come out alive and happy, and they were where they were today.

Her hands fell to her swollen belly. She understood her husband's worry, but that didn't mean she agreed with his decision to leave the pregnant wife at home while he went out and fought this new enemy. They were partners in more ways than one. They were partners in love, in battle, and in power…

The phone on her nightstand rang.

She rolled over and grabbed the phone. "Moshi-moshi?"

She recognized the voice immediately, "Oh. Hey Queen. What'd ya do with the King?"

Tatsuki sighed. "Hello to you, too, Grimmjow. Ichigo is in Soul Society right now."

A slight struggle was heard along with a few curses. After a few moments another, yet equally familiar voice, came on the phone. "-idiotic trash, Grimmjow. Queen Tatsuki, the King ordered that we check on you every once in a while," said Ulquiorra's dead-panned voice.

"Did he now?"

"Yes."

"Well."

"Hm?"

"Did he give you a clock so you tell what time it was? Because it's eleven pm, Ulquiorra. I was trying to sleep."

"I apologize. I will pay closer attention to the time of day next time. Are you okay?" He said with a robotic quality that revealed how not-worried he really was.

"Yes, I am fine, Ulquiorra. So unless you plan on delivering an Apple Pie, please hang up so I sleep."

"That is acceptable."

Click.

Tatsuki sighed before rolling back on her other side and promptly falling asleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .

**A/N:** I put in a lot of random crap, don't I? Perhaps it's not random crap. Perhaps I'm foreshadowing. Muhahahhahahahahahahahah.

Tatsuki: I hate you.

Yuuki: Lucky, lucky, Tatsuki. You get Ichigo.

Rentaro & Orihime: WHY WEREN'T WE IN THIS CHAPTER!

Yuuki: Because I ran out of time. My mom wants me off the computer.

Chiume: Thanksss for making me ssso badasssss.

Yuuki: You're welcome.

Sakane: Now, sweet readers, review or I will hit you. With a fish. Hard.


	10. Welcome to Where the Heart Is

**A/N:** Guess what? This story is part one in a Trilogy. This is CoM: Hidden Enemies. Yes, Mickaela, I've got two more genius works coming up. :D

Remember when I said the only OCs would be the ones so far mentioned? I lied. I'm introducing maybe, like, five in this chapter. The Soma family isn't as uptight as the Shimizu family is.

Oh, and I did a little more research. It's not Fijin, I was getting mixed up with Dijins there, it's Fujin. And Fujin is one entity, not multiple. So the slight deviation from the actual legend here is necessary for the plot to continue as is. If I dwelled on it then I'd have to completely re-write the story, so… yeah.

. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .

Creatures of Myth: Chapter Ten

Welcome to Where the Heart Is

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"_The monsters are buried down deep inside_

_You never know they're satisfied_

_Buried down deep where the sun don't shine_

_The monsters are buried down deep inside."_

**-Monsters, Hurricane Bells**

. . . . . . .

That was odd. She could've sworn she'd fallen asleep on one of those standard issue Gotei Thirteen futons. This was so much more comfortable.

Orihime stretched, throwing her arms above her head and yawning loudly.

"_Shush!_" came a soft, child-like voice.

Startled, Orihime shot up. To her right was a little boy, maybe about ten years old. The only weird thing was that he only had one eye, centered right in the middle of his forehead like a Cyclops. He currently had his eye narrowed at her in irritation. She looked around the room. It certainly wasn't the place where she had fallen asleep. It was a large room, with really good quality tatami and patterned shoji screens. The walls were sparse, but she was used to that, for her apartment in Karakura was the same. There were three doors, one that probably led to the hallway, another that she figured led to a bathroom, and the mystery door. To her left she noticed a little niche, but she couldn't see the contents.

She slid out of bed. She still wore the Yukata she'd fallen asleep in, that was a good thing. She decided that first she'd handle the mystery door. Carefully sliding the delicate screen to the side, she gasped as she realized the contents of the room behind it.

Clothes. Lots and lots of clothes. It was a very huge, very full, walk-in closet. She stepped back and slid the door back in place. Best leave that be for now. She turned to the niche, and after taking a few steps towards it she stopped. It was held a familiar setting. An extremely familiar setting, taken right out of her own home. The vase of fresh cut flowers, the few precious possessions, the picture frame.

It was a shrine of her brother.

Before she could react, something tapped her elbow. She jumped slightly. The one-eyed boy frowned and handed her a note. She eyed the paper questioningly before examining it closer.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu, Inoue-chan. I hope you have found your room to be up to par. I took the liberty of retrieving your clothes and more important-seeming possessions from your home in the World of the Living (I know a shrine when I see one). If I have missed anything, write up a list and give it to Shu, the Hitotsume-Kozo that gave you this letter._

_The closet is yours. Feel free to wear any item within, for it all belongs to you. I would recommend wearing something nice today, for the family elders wish to meet you._

_If you have any questions, ask Shu, but be sure is whisper. Hitotsume-Kozo don't like noise._

_One more thing, in case an unexpected predicament keeps me, every once in a while in the evening you may hear very loud shrieking. That's just Okiku. She's absolutely harmless._

_-Soma Rentaro"_

Then it came back to her. The events of last night. She'd been in the Thirteenth division barracks when that Kitsune had woken her up and said she was to be his bride.

She wasn't so sure, but she was thinking she fainted after that.

Orihime wasn't too hot about the fact that he'd gone through her home, the fact that he'd been courteous enough to bring her brother's shrine was sort of, well, sweet.

The little boy – Shu – spoke, "I suppose you're to dress," he said softly, "After you have done so I am to take you to breakfast where you will see the master and the elders, milady."

Wait, had she just been addressed the way she thought she'd been addressed?

Before she had a chance to ask, Shu turned towards the door. "I will be waiting outside for you to finish getting dressed, milady."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Once they reached the dining room, Shu had left, leaving her feeling oddly lost. She didn't see Rentaro among the gathered silver-haired people. Even though he sort of did scare her, at least he'd be a familiar face. There was two empty seats, though. One was hers, so the other may be for the clan leader.

She'd chosen to dress in a light pink Kimono with a peach pattern. Her hairpins had been somewhat enshrined in the accessory section of the closet. They had even gotten their own little pillow on a little pedestal. They were pretty smug about that. She'd used them like little hair ornaments, sticking them into a loose bun.

"Come here, dear, take a seat," one of the older Kitsune women said warmly. Compared to things she'd read about families that had elders like this, the Soma family elders seemed rather kind and welcoming. Orihime complied and took the sat where she assumed she was supposed to sit.

Next to her was the older lady that had offered the seat. The woman flashed her a motherly smile. "Good Morning, dear, I am Soma Chinatsu, Rentaro-sama's aunt. You must be Inoue Orihime, correct?"

"Y-yes, I am," Orihime stuttered.

"Before we proceed with pleasantries, I have we have a simple question. Earlier, my fellow elders and I were discussing an… intriguing subject. Quite a bit of speculation was involved, but I assure you, we came to no conclusions," she chuckled, "But what did Rentaro-sama do once he found you to convince you to come here?"

A couple of the younger seeming elders snickered.

Orihime stared blankly at the woman for a moment before realizing the implications and blushing wildly. "Oh! No, no, n-nothing like that!" she exclaimed, waving her arms in front of her. Apparently, elders of Youkai clans were much less reserved than human or Shinigami elders. "I woke up and he was in my room and he said I was going to be his bride then I fainted!"

"Nothing else happened?" inquired Chinatsu, through surprisingly feminine giggles.

"Nothing!"

After a few more moments of quiet laughter, footsteps were heard at the doorway. "Well it seems like somebody's making friends rather quickly," came a well-known voice.

Chinatsu-san smiled at her nephew. "Orihime-chan is rather entertaining. Certainly more entertaining than your grandmother was." For some reason, the fact that they were calling her Orihime-chan bothered her slightly, but she couldn't put her finger on why.

Orihime barely caught the slight frown that flickered on his lips at the mention of his grandmother. But the clan leader's cheerful smile was quickly returned. "So, what was the joke?"

A different elder, an older man, snorted. "We were simply implying that more went on last night than you told us."

Rentaro gave the man an incredulous look.

"But Orihime-chan here cleared up our misconception, didn't she?" Chinatsu said, gently patting Orihime on the back.

"H – hai."

The young clan leader sat down in the empty seat beside her.

"But what _I_ noticed, Rentaro-sama," a much, much older Kitsune woman said. This was one that hadn't laughed along with them, "Is that she never gave consent, formal or otherwise, for you to bring her here."

Rentaro's smile dropped again. He turned to Orihime, his light violet eyes held a serious look. "You remember what the Tengu told you about Senka Maidens, right, Orihime-chan?" he paused, "How when they reach a certain age, lower, demonic Youkai will hound her every second of everyday until she dies or they kill her, and the most common outcome is usually the latter?

She nodded. "But I'm twenty years old. What about the past four years?"

Chinatsu answered this. "We have done extensive research on you and your friends, Orihime-chan." Ah, that was why it was making her skittish. The last person to call her 'Orihime-chan' had been Aizen Sousuke while she was in Hueco Mundo. Awkward much? Chinatsu continued. "You see, while neither we nor any other clan interfered with the Execution of Kuchiki Rukia, Aizen's Conspiracy, or the Winter War, we _did_ keep _extremely_ close tabs on the situation. We knew that Aizen Sousuke was going to betray Soul Society a few days before he ascended to Hueco Mundo."

"How? Not even the Second Squad anticipated that."

The up-tight old lady from before answered. "Just because we don't interfere doesn't mean we don't have our hands in everything. The current captain of the Fifth Squad, Nazo Sakane, is one of the four daughters of Fujin, and while she is a benefactor to the Shimizu clan, she distributes her intel on Shinigami affairs to us as well. Though I assume that is going to cease for now as it seems the Shinigami have joined with the Tengu. But I digress. When Aizen annihilated the Central Fourty-Six, he made one, careless error. He failed to notice that he only killed fourty-five of the - "

"With all due respect, Great-aunt Hikaru, from what I understand about Aizen Sousuke, it is much more likely that he knew of your familial origin and let you get away," Rentaro interrupted.

Hikaru nodded at this. "That does make quite a bit more sense than my theory, yet it raises so many more questions. Did Aizen know what really lay in the King's Realm? Did he have some plan to take down Amaterasu and rule over Takamagahara? Or perhaps he-"

"Oi, Hikaru, we're talking about Orihime, not speculating Aizen's true intents. Stay on topic, _Kudasai,_" Chinatsu stated flatly.

"Ah, yes, excuse my rambling. So, we knew everything about you and your companions. A simple examination of your Shun-Shun-Rikka upon your arrival to the mansion allowed us to confirm our previous theory. Thank your little fairies there, Orihime-san. They helped you in more ways than simply allowing you to cut, shield, heal, and reflect. While allowing your reiatsu to seep through, they filtered it in a way, blocking all of the extra Senka reiatsu you unconsciously give off. I doubt they even knew they were doing it, either."

Chinatsu took it from there, "Once you came to Seireitei, you were safe until you took off your hairpins. That explains why we were unable to sense you at first. But now that you've taken them off once, all Senka-sensitive Youkai know your Reiatsu. You can't hide anymore. You need to be around a strong Youkai like Rentaro-sama or you're doomed the moment you step outside of Seireitei. That, and even if you were still in Seireitei, they're other clans that awoken, but they're all ones that follow female lines, and they _eat_ Senka Maidens. The Shimizu clan could help you, but they wouldn't be able to shelter you forever. Eventually some clan will get up the courage to launch an assault on the Tengu to take you. And as much as we hate to admit, it would probably be us. We've gone an entire generation without a Senka, and we can't afford to go another. Senka that are eaten generally go to Hueco Mundo as a Hollow, due to their painful death, while Senka that marry a clan leader usually continue on to Takamagahara, the Higher Celestial Plane, otherwise known to you as the Spirit King's Realm."

"That," Rentaro said, "And her hairpins seem to be failing slightly. I can still smell Senka."

"That's because she's right next to you, Rentaro-sama."

Rentaro tilted his head to the side. "Oh. Then why didn't that Tengu sense it? Unless it was a woman…?" he turned to Orihime.

"Ichidou-san wasn't talking only to me," she replied, "He was talking to all the captains and my friends and I."

Rentaro gave her a curious look. "Ichidou Tamashi? He's not an ambassador. He was a one of the Tengu's Generals during the Fifth Senka War. He's a combatant, not a diplomat."

Chinatsu snorted. "And who was the Shimizu clan's main ambassador until recently, Rentaro-sama?"

A pained look crossed his face. "Oh yeah," he scowled. "The _princess,_" he half snarled.

The kind elder reached across Orihime to repeatedly poke the irritated clan leader in the shoulder. "Oh poor baby," she said in a sarcastic, low voice with her lips pursed. "Little 'Taro's unrequited crush is turning into bitterness, hm?"

Rentaro sent her a glare intense enough to send a hollow running for the hills. When his gaze was returned with a bubbly smile that would give Rangiku a run for her money, he relented with a sigh. He looked back to Orihime. "So, after that extreme long tangent of an explanation, you gonna stay, 'Hime?"

She bit her lip. "It doesn't sound like you're giving me much of a choice," she said quietly. Neither Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun, nor Chad-kun had turned out to be her knight in shining armor. Her heart panged slightly as she thought of Ulquiorra. He had been a bit of a knight, albeit an extremely misguided one, but to her knowledge, he was gone now. So that left Soma Rentaro.

The Kitsune frowned. "I can give you some time to think on it, if you'd like."

Just at that moment, more one-eyed little boys walked in carrying trays of food.

The clan leader brightened up. "Ah, breakfast."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For the rest of the day, Rentaro gave her an extensive tour of the mansion. The really, really big mansion. It was almost dinner time before they finished exploring the garden. There was only one place left that she wanted to check out. "Rentaro-kun, can we do a tour of the kitchen?" she asked.

The clan leader looked up at the sky briefly. "I suppose it is getting near time for dinner. I must warn you though, this is the time that Okiku comes out."

"Oh yeah. You mentioned something about her in the note that Shu-kun gave me," she said curiously, "So she… screams? Why?" The name Okiku seemed like something she should know.

"You'll find out."

Orihime shrugged. "Hm," then she grinned mischievously, "Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg!" she exclaimed as she ran back towards the mansion, giggling.

She didn't get to far before something was suddenly in front of her.

Rentaro picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "So what happens if we both get there at the same time?"

"Hey! No fair!" she exclaimed through giggles.

He grinned. "You don't even know where the kitchen is."

She pouted. He had her there.

He set her down at the door back into the mansion.

Suddenly, a flapping of wings was heard. Both of them turned at the sound.

Just then, Ichidou Tamashi landed a few feet away from them. "Soma Rentaro-sama," he stated, punctuating it with a deep bow. His face held an expression even more dour than the one he had held when meeting with the Shinigami.

Rentaro stood up straight, putting on his serious face. "Ichidou Tamashi. To what do I owe this visit?"

The Tengu eyed Orihime briefly before turning his indifferent gaze on the Kitsune. "When the opponent does not show on the field of battle, one must assume that they have surrendered. Is our assumption correct?"

The clan leader narrowed his eyes. There was a stiff pause before the Kitsune finally replied. "To an extent. I met with Nazo Sakane yesterday. She informed me that Shimizu Hakyu is saying that my father was murdered by a Shirohebi, exiled from the Chihana clan. The elders and I have decided to trust Nazo-san's claims and allow a diplomatic meeting between Soma Chinatsu and Shimizu Hakyu to occur if such an event was welcomed by the Tengu."

"Unfortunately, Soma-sama," Ichidou began, "My liege has gone missing. He ventured into the Rukongai yesterday and has yet to return."

Rentaro inhaled sharply. "This… is unfortunate. I apologize for the fact that I have no intelligence on the matter. This is the first I have heard of such an incident."

The Tengu sighed. "How disappointing. My final inquiry was as to the location of one Miss Orihime Inoue, and it seems that you owe her friends an explanation. The situation may be blatantly obvious to Youkai, but her human companions aren't likely to be as… understanding."

Orihime took a few steps forward. "Tell my friends that I'm fine, and the Kitsune are very kind. I don't have much of a choice anyways," She paused, "T – tell them I have no intention of going back to the World of Living."

The Tengu raised an eyebrow at her comment while Rentaro's eyes widened. "Very well, Inoue-sa- … well, it'd be Inoue-sama, then," his face assumed an amused expression. "I will relay your, erm, message to the Ryoka." The diplomat turned back to Rentaro. "I will inform the Princess of what we have discussed here tonight, and once my liege returns we will discuss this meeting between him and your Aunt, Soma-sama."

Rentaro nodded.

Ichidou spread his wings, "I pray you have a good evening, sir," he added before he took off.

Orihime jumped as Rentaro suddenly grasped her shoulders. "Are you sure?" he asked sternly.

She smiled. "I'm sure."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Oh. My. God. This is the longest chapter I've written since I that one chapter I have somewhere that's over 4,000 (OMG IT'S OVER 9000!). Although, much of this is boring conversation. Meh. I feel like I have Orihime being OOC, which is virtually impossible to do. Oh well.

I made an Ulquihime AMV, for those of you who are interested. My username on YouTube is SuperYuuki3 and the video is called Ulquihime – Paranoid Doll. It's my best AMV yet! I've done four, but you can't see the first one (my second best. I spent an entire day on it, too) got blocked because of the song. QQ I'll put a link to my channel on my profile.

Ichidou: Gah! What are you doing to me?

Yuuki: … What?

Ichidou: You're making look like a stuck up bastard! *despair*

Yuuki: You are a stuck up bastard.

Sakane: Hey, don't be mean to Tamashi-kun… he's a real softie underneath, ya know.

Yuuki: YOU CAN'T SPEAK, DEMON!

Sakane: . . . why would you say that?

Yuuki: It seems like it's just me being goofy.

Ao: It's not?

Yuuki: But it is.

Ao: ?

Hakyu: There was so much of me last chapter. Why wasn't there any here?

Yuuki: You got mentioned here. It's enough.

Hitsugaya: We haven't seen me for several chapters. I hope for the sake of my, ehem, fan-girls that I appear in the next.

Yuuki: Chances are likely, Hitsugaya-kun, but chances of it being a big appearance, not so much. This story is much more centered around Rentaro and Orihime. In the next story it will be much more centric around you and Ao.

Hitsugaya: Oh.

Chiume: **REVIEW OR I WILL BITE YOU!**

Shu: _SHHHHHHH!_

Chiume: Sorry!


	11. Broken Facade

**A/N:** It has come to my attention that this has been lacking severing in Hitsugaya x OC goodness, and there will be some in this chapter. That is the main reason many of you clicked on this story, granted, probably because of the M rating XD (Yes, I know your ways, my dear readers. I'm like that as well, as most of the best fics are rated M) I'd like to inform you that the reason I have this rated M is the blood and gore that we have yet to get to (That's odd. The battle's over. Why would there be any blood and gore now?), and a sprite in this chapter (Sorry, it's not a lime, it's a sprite XD)

And finally, Mickaela, we get to reveal the true antagonist of this story. (When I say "Mickaela," I'm not making a reference to something, I'm actually addressing my friend Mickaela, who reads this story and I happen to bounce ideas off of every once and a while) Also, we get an appearance from my favorite character, Ichimaru Gin ^.^ And we get to see the Sakane x Canon Character I mentioned earlier.

**EDIT:** Fixed some minor grammar issues and did some minor re-wording.

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Eleven: Broken Façade

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"_Is it true, what they say?_

_Are we too blind to find the way?_

_Fear of the unknown cloud our hearts today._

_._

_See who I am_

_Break through the surface_

_Reach for my hand_

_And show them that we can_

_Free our minds, and find a way_

_The world is in our hands."_

_**-See Who I Am, Within Temptation**_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ao walked silently down the streets of Seireitei, once again sporting a mask pure white mask upon her face, albeit not her usual one, as it had been damaged irreversibly. She'd let up on some inhibitions and kept her wings visible.

Her appearance turned heads and solicited whispers. She was dressed like a noble today, unlike most days when she dressed like an ordinary soldier. Although most of these Shinigami had never seen her before, her name and status seemed to be common knowledge nowadays. Not only her social status, but her marital status as well.

She had her hair done up with the little gold hair ornaments she'd been wearing in the day the battle had started, and it only seemed fitting that she should be wearing them the day it ended. Ao wore very little jewelry besides the hair ornaments and one other piece. Yesterday after the Shinigami Women's Association meeting, she'd met up with Toushirou, who had been doing some… shopping.

A soft smile adorned her face beneath her mask as she gazed down at the dainty ring that now embraced her left ring finger.

Elated, she continued off towards the Tenth District of Seireitei.

. . . . . . . . .

Hitsugaya signed another paper. There was so much paperwork to fill out, but he could care less. Hitsugaya Toushirou was happy. Today he was to have lunch with his best friend and his Fiancée, and he couldn't be any more glad.

The past few days had been rather hectic, especially when Inoue Orihime went missing, but that matter had been resolved and the battle between the Tengu and Kitsune was over for now, at very least until Shimizu Hakyu was found.

The only thing he had to not be happy about, was that Ao and Momo weren't the only ones he'd be having lunch with.

Just as he finished the last of his paperwork, a terse knock came at the door. Hitsugaya cringed. This was the guest he wasn't too thrilled about. "Come in, Shiramae-sama," he called.

The ice woman entered without a sound, staring at him with barely-veiled contempt. "Where are the other guests?" she asked flatly.

"They're not here yet. You're a bit early." He stood and stepped around his desk.

She nodded and continued to sit regally on the couch.

"SHIRO-CHAAAAAN!" cried a familiar voice as she burst through the door, carrying a wicker picnic basket. Momo ran and squished him in a tight hug. "Ooo, I was so lucky that Nazo-taichou said I could leave before I finished my paperwork and finish it later!"

"It's good to see you, too, Momo."

"Nazo-taichou is so wonderful! She's so much better than the last one my division had, huh?"

Hitsugaya sighed. She avoided Aizen's name like the plague. "Hinamori, you could put Matsumoto as the captain of the fifth division and even she'd be better than the last one," he dead-panned.

Momo laughed, though he could tell it was sort of half-hearted.

He heard a sudden rustle of feathers and turned to see a masked face just inches from his. Hitsugaya chuckled. "You know, if you weren't wearing that mask, this would be the perfect opportunity…" he trailed off.

Not in front of his homicidal soon to be mother-in-law, goddammit!

Even though Ao's face was covered by the her pallid mask, Hitsugaya knew she was blushing. "Speaking of masks," he continued as he plucked the elegant mask from her face, revealing her mildly shocked expression and confirming his theory.

Ao laughed. "You know, that one is enchanted as well."

Aha, so that was it. She was making sure the last mask hadn't simply been too damaged for the enchantment to hold up. "Well at least any doubts you may have had have now been proved groundless," he said coolly, crossing his arms.

Ao stuttered to find a response, her eyes widening comically.

Toushirou gave her a reassuring wink and turned back to his other guests. "Now, let's get this lunch started and done with _before_ Matsumoto catches wind of this and shows up with sake."

. . . . . . . . . . .

It had been a long time since he'd been in the halls of the Gobantai. Not since Aizen had still been captain. And now he was paying a visit the person in the exact same position the traitor had been. Hopefully, he'd be wrong about this one. He already had the scars from the last time he'd tried to take down an evil bastard, and he could only hope…

It was self-destructive, he understood as much. He didn't even have a good reason like before. The thing was, he didn't miss Aizen at all, so why was he seeking out another like him? Perhaps hanging with conniving assholes had grown on him, somewhat.

Ichimaru stepped in to the room where she sat. The moment he stepped in, the woman perked up. "Oh, hiya there, Ichimaru-kun! How're you doing?" Nazo Sakane asked happily.

Retaining his signature grin, he replied, "I'm doin' fine, Nazo-taichou, how 'bout you?"

The eccentric taichou stood from her seat at the desk. "I'm fine, too, thanks, and call me Sakane," she said with an overly happy grin. "Can I get you some tea? Coffee? Fish?" she inquired.

"Let's skip the pleasantries," Ichimaru said with a little less of his usual playfulness, "Let's get righ' down ta business."

Sakane tilted her head to the side comically, "Huh?"

"Ya can drop the act, Sakane."

She frowned with a pout. "I'm not sure what you mean, Ichimaru-kun," she said, sounding hurt.

Gin put on his serious face, which wasn't much different from his usual, but still. "I mean I see that you're doin' somethin', I just can't tell what."

Her pout disappeared and her lips formed a hard line as she tilted her chin upwards and narrowed her eyes slightly. Just then Gin felt like Aizen was staring him down, that condescending glare that he swore only Aizen would ever be able to pull off.

It was a sign that she would kill him if he didn't give her a reason not to, and quickly.

She blinked slowly and the glare softened. Gracefully, she stepped towards her desk and retrieved a handkerchief. "I should of figured you, of all people would have figured it out sooner or later, Gin," she told him in that same scary, 'You're starting to become a threat' way that Aizen would, as she wiped the concealing make-up off her face, revealing beautiful crimson markings lining her eyes, forehead, and upper cheeks. "However, if you expect me to tell you my plans, you're sorely mistaken. All I will reveal is that what I'm planning has already affected Soul Society and will cause no further damage to Seireitei or any of the Shinigami."

Gin nodded. "Of course. Goddesses like yourself rarely bother themselves wi' affairs of the likes of us."

She threw him a bored glance. "Yamamoto knows I'm a Fujin. Such knowledge will grant you no influence over me."

"Oh, I wasn't lookin' ta blackmail ya, Sakane-chan, it was a compliment," he said mischievously.

The wind kami looked him over for a moment. He noticed her tense slightly, and his grin spread further. "I've already gathered that ya would 'ave ta be after one of Kurosaki's friends, and I must assume that it's Orihime-chan," he paused and walked towards her at a curve, making her narrowed eyes have to follow him. "She's such a pretty thing, don'cha agree? And one of those Senka Maidens, as well." He stopped right in front of her. "And for such a powerful being such as yerself, I suppose she'd seem mighty tasty, am I right?"

Sakane face stayed in that unreadable expression. "I thought you said you didn't know what I was doing."

"Oh, I know what yer doin', I just don't know how yer gonna do it. I mean, now that the Kitsune 'ave got 'er, it'll pose quite the challenge. And then ya 'ave got Kurosaki to worry 'bout, 'cause no doubt he'll be coming to 'er rescue."

She made a quiet amused sound and set her handkerchief on the desk next to her. "I have that covered," she exhaled tiredly. "What am I going to do with you, Ichimaru?" The Fujin listlessly fingered the pommel of her Katana.

He knew she could read him like a book. She was exactly like Aizen to that effect. It was frightening, it was disturbing, it was… appealing. Yeah, that was the word for it. Appealing. _Right_. Now _he_ sounded like Aizen. Ichimaru scoffed mentally. It wasn't _appealing_, it was goddamned _sexy_. There, now he sounded more like himself. "I dunno, Sakane-chan. Perhaps ya could find the kindness in yer heart and let me help ya out a bit?" he drawled.

That morbidly amused expression spread over her face once more. "I don't have a heart, Ichimaru," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She didn't mean she was heartless like a Hollow, she basically meant she had no use for the weaker emotions, love, kindness, joy, the like, nor did she have the patience for mercy. "Ya can borrow mine if ya want. I don't use it much," Ichimaru said playfully. Since she was so much like Aizen, she'd jump at the opportunity for another pawn, if not just the opportunity to have one more person to merely manipulate, but he doubted her and Aizen's similarities ran that deep. Although, unlike Aizen, she was female, and a curvy female at that.

Sakane grinned, and Ichimaru saw what she normally kept hidden. She have sharp, pointed teeth, made solely for the purpose of tearing flesh from the bone. He shivered slightly. Those would hurt. "Is that a proposition, Ichimaru-kun?" she looked him in the eye, her turquoise eyes piercing him teasingly.

"Schemin', powerful, an' well-endowed," he counted them off on his fingers and grinned, "Yep, yer my type." He was pretty sure he was basically guaranteeing that sometime in the near future he'd have that Katana through his chest. Or perhaps, because of his little comment about her borrowing his heart, maybe she'd carve it out of his chest. He seriously, would not put it past her.

. . . . . . .

The Fujin adjusted her Haori. Her amused expression turned into one of intrigue. She would thoroughly enjoy toying with him. She truly would. It had been a long time since she last laid with someone. And Ichimaru Gin _was_ up to her standards. Of course, she simply hadn't expected him to try to seduce her shortly after confronting her. It was foolish, but just beautifully reckless enough to pique her interest.

She approached him and ran a finger down the side of his fox-like face. A gesture of affection. His skin was so pale, yet she knew there was no way it would be flawless as hers was. As they continued into her quarters, and she slid off his Haori and top portion of his Shihakusho, her believes were confirmed, for his chest was marred with countless scars, ranging from slight, barely visible imperfections to the jagged, obvious patch of scar tissue on the skin above his heart. She knew enough to know that he'd received that when he attempted to double-cross Aizen Sousuke, an attempt which had ended in utter failure. She longed to add to the blemishes, to mar his pallid flesh by sinking her teeth into him. She'd noticed his shiver when she had first shown him her teeth. He was likely hoping he wouldn't have to experience the deadly fangs. Too bad for him, because she _was_ a biter when it came to bedroom activities.

Nazo Sakane would devour Ichimaru Gin, and he would be extremely lucky if he made it out alive.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Ah… Sakane is my baby… I could care less about Ao. Ao seems so Sue-ish to me. It's Sakane, Chiume, and Rentaro that make me proud. I love making character that are sadistic, evil, and overall messed up. We'll probably see what happened to Hakyu next chapter. And we'll get some Hinamori to Sakane interaction. And I'd like to point out to you, Sakane is not Aizen. I haven't just copied Aizen. She doesn't underestimate Ichigo like Aizen did. And she's a bit more self-serving. She doesn't want to rule over everybody, she just wants… never mind. You learn that later.

Please Review!


	12. Memories of Yesterday

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Twelve: Memories of Yesterday

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"_When the future's architectured_

_By a carnival of idiots on show_

_You better lie low_

_._

_I don't wanna be a soldier_

_Or the captain of some sinking ship."_

**-Violet Hill, Coldplay**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_A younger_ _Shimizu Hakyu lay in a field of wildflowers, the scent of which surrounded him, yet was overcome by the smell of happiness, sunshine, and peaches. Amaterasu had chosen that day to grace all those below with a beautiful, bright, colorful sunset. His attention slowly shifted to the light pressure in his hand. The Tengu's gaze fell from the clouds to the soft, delicate hand that rested in his grasp._

_ A haze of pure bliss had settled over him. "Hotaru," he breathed._

_ The woman turned her face towards his, a similar look of content upon her face. "Mm?" Her jade green eyes were lidded and the corners of her perfect lips her teased upwards in a gentle smile._

_ Oh, how Hakyu loved the smell of Senka. He inhaled deeply before exhaling with a sigh. "Thank you," he said._

_ She blinked, and slowly rose to prop herself up on her elbows. "For what?" Little pieces of grass and leaves from the flowers were stuck in her hair, yet it only served to make her more radiant._

_ Hakyu ran a hand through that very golden hair. "For everything, for leaving everything behind," before she had been discovered to be the Senka Maiden, she had been at the top of her class, and was looking forward to some rather prestigious colleges to be practically begging for her to attend, "for enduring this horrible war," the Fifth Senka War had been over the young miss Kaneko Hotaru, and while she'd been passed through many hands throughout the entire ordeal, she remained loyal to him, and that was all that mattered, "for being so understanding," when they had first gone to retrieve her, she'd been nearly dead, for at that time Youkai were very active in the World of the Living, and many minor, demonic Youkai had immediately attacked. It was the presence of the Tengu that had scared off the beasts, and the Tengu that had healed her wounds. Hakyu had heard many stories of Senka Maidens that simply panicked and at first hated their rescuers as well, and Hotaru had instantly recognized that Tengu weren't going to hurt her, "And… and for loving me back."_

_ Hotaru gave him a joyful grin. "Well you're very welcome, Hakyu," she looked him in the eye, "And I'd do it all over again, as long as it was for you."_

_ The Tengu smiled as well. After a few moments of happy silence, he rose to his feet, clasping Hotaru's hand and helping her up. "Come on, we'd better get back to the house. We've got a big day tomorrow."_

_ She laughed. "Yeah, and I doubt either of us will be getting much sleep tomorrow night," she stretched her arms over her head, the fading daylight catching the ring around her finger. "I don't really get a the point of a formal ceremony, anyways. It's not like we actually have to be wed for the Senka magic or whatever to work," she said thoughtfully._

_ Hakyu leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek. "It's so you can drop your cool last name for my boring one. Good bye to Kaneko Hotaru, hello Shimizu Hotaru," he joked._

_. . . . . ._

_ It was like any other day in the Shimizu home. Calm. No overly pressing matters, not since the war, four years ago. They'd beat down so many powerful clans to the point where they went running with their proverbial (and not so proverbial) tails between their legs. It was unlikely anyone would be presented with an urgent matter until the next Senka came about._

_ "Hakyu-sama," came the familiar voice of the clan's doctor._

_ The clan leader didn't look up from his book. "Yes, Nanami-san?" he said flatly, adjusting his reading glasses._

_ "It's Hotaru-sama."_

_ That got his attention. Wasting no time to retrieve his bookmark, he simply folded the page corner and set it beside him. "What about Hotaru?" he said sternly._

_ Nanami stepped aside as his wife came running in, dressed in a simple purple Yukata, and embraced him. "Hakyu! You're never going to guess…" she half laughed, half cried. It seemed like a happy cry, though._

_ Several other female clan members were peeking through the door Hotaru had come through, either giggling or smiling happily._

_ The clan doctor grinned kindly. "Congratulations, Hakyu-sama, it seems that in a few months you'll have an heir."_

_. . . . . ._

_ The Tengu kneeled at his wife's bedside, holding her hand tightly as tears silently ran down his face._

_ She looked at him with an almost content look on her face. She looked sick, her eyes sunken in, her lips chapped, her skin pale except for the slight blush caused by the fever. "Hakyu…" she breathed. The child had come a month and a half early, and even through her pregnancy she'd had grown weaker and weaker. Hakyu was beginning to realize why his father had barely spoken to him, and exactly why his mother had died giving birth._

_ "This is my fault, Hotaru, I'm so sorry," he sobbed, unable to look her in the face._

_ "Don't be so hard on yourself, Hakyu," she rasped. She looked back to the nurses, "Can I see my son? My little Katsuro?"_

_ Nanami chose that moment to re-enter the room, solemn expression on her face. "I'm sorry, Hotaru-sama, but the child was too weak."_

_ Her face fell visibly. "Ah…" her shoulders slumped against her pillow. Once more she turned to her husband. "Hakyu… thank you."_

_ His eyes widened, stunned._

_ She continued. "Thank you for finding me. Thank you for being so kind. Thank you for fighting for me," her began to slide shut, "Thank you for… loving me…"_

_ Hakyu grasped her hand tighter. "No, no, no, Hotaru. Hotaru, don't do this to me… Hotaru!" he sobbed._

_ "Good bye… I'll see you… in Takamagahara…" her eyes shut as she exhaled softly._

_ "Hotaru! No, don't leave me, _please! _Hotaru… Hotaru…" he dissolved into tears._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

The Tengu mumbled strange things in his sleep, Chiume noted. She recognized the name he spoke most often. Any self-respecting Youkai who didn't would be considered insane. Such a glorious war the Fifth Senka War had been, but despite her opinions she had absolutely no wish to relive it.

Such beautiful irony. The Tengu had fought tooth and nail to keep that Senka, only to have her give birth to a premature child and die.

The Shirohebi kicked him lightly in the side. "Oi, Shimizu. Wake up. Your nightmare isn't amusing me anymore."

Hakyu shot up, his face still tear stained. "What? Where…?" he looked around confusedly until his gaze settled upon Chiume. "YOU!" he exclaimed.

She sighed. "Yes. Me. Now, I've got breakfast here, if ya want it," she said, gesturing to a pot over a campfire.

He blinked. "What happened to your accent?"

Chiume snorted. "Dumb question. We Shirohebi do that on purpose to intimidate people. I normally don't use it these days."

Hakyu tensed. "Why am I alive?"

The Shirohebi sighed. "Because for some odd reason she wants you alive. She wants you here, but she wants you alive. Don't question it, please."

The Tengu tilted his head to the side. "So… what would happen if I made a run for the door?"

"I've got a Kunai with your name on it."

"Well," he said suddenly cheerful, "What's for breakfast?"

. . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** I know I promised Sakane to Hinamori interaction, but I'm out of time (mom wants me off the comp) and this was just begging to be written. The death of Shimizu Hotaru was necessary… we need it to understand Hakyu's emotions and motives and actions.

If you review, I'll be very happy! Even if it's just a theory of what's gonna happen, or a simple "I leik dis it is kewl."


	13. Kore Wa Maboroshi

**A/N:** To those that are 'in the know,' the title of this chapter is a dead giveaway of what's going to happen.

**Warning: Canon Character death, but I think many of you are going to cheer… XD Although, EXTREMELY GORY. CANNIBALISM (Well, technically…)**

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Thirteen: Kore wa Maboroshi

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"_Sparking angel_

_I believed_

_You were my savior_

_In my time of need_

_Blinded by faith_

_I couldn't hear_

_All the whispers_

_The warnings so clear_

_._

_You took my heart_

_Deceived me right from the start_

_._

_You broke the promise_

_And made me realize_

_It was all just a lie_

_Sparkling angel_

_I couldn't see_

_Your dark intentions_

_Your feelings for me"_

**-Angels, Within Temptation**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Deep beneath the ground, a forgotten threat bided it's time. Or rather, his time.

Aizen Sousuke had never been the kind to form plans that relied so heavily on others, but this delicious opportunity had presented itself. "And why should I help you, Nanami-san?" he asked.

The woman that stood before him was unfamiliar. She did perhaps look a bit like that crazy, cannibalistic Youkai they'd replaced him with. She was dressed rather oddly, completely in various shades of purple, with violet markings on her face, highlighting her nose, eyes, and forehead. She scowled. "Look, do you want out or not? I've got your Zan – whatever sword thing right here. You just have to use it a few times for my big sister. And you've got to hide yourself, of course," she had a bit of a European accent, but it wasn't overly noticeable. "Besides, you want to get to Takamagahara, right? My big sister can help you with that."

He looked her in the eye and smiled. "I'm sure your sister and I can work something out. Now, get me out of here, please."

. . . . . . . . .

"Ya've got who doin' what now?" Ichimaru said, actually frowning for once.

Sakane sipped her tea. "Don't make me repeat myself. My youngest sister, Nanami, is heading down to Avici to free us up a useful ally."

Gin gave her an incredulous look. "You're not kiddin'," he stated.

"Never, Ichimaru. I don't kid."

"What about that one time when in that one captains' meeting where most of us were really drunk – of course, Soutaichou had no idea - and you said that Kuchiki-taichou was the hottest man in Seireitei?" Ichimaru said.

She gave him a bit of a WTF face. "I don't kid, Ichimaru."

"Awww. You're so mean."

"The meanest," she stated curtly, returning to her tea.

One of the largest smirks Ichimaru had ever smirked spread over his face. Sakane stopped and stared at him over her tea cup. "What?" she asked plainly.

"If yer the meanest, then maybe ya could finish something Sousuke started…" he baited slyly.

"I'm listening…"

. . . . . . . . .

Hinamori stood. "Well, guys, I've gotta get back to Squad Five before Nazo-taichou misses me."

"See ya, Momo," Hitsugaya said.

Ao smiled, "The next meeting is Wednesday, right?" Momo nodded.

The Yuki-Onna woman gave her a curt nod. "Sayonara, Hinamori-san."

"See ya guys!" she called happily as she stepped out the door.

Okay, now to get back to Squad Five and finish that paperwork so that Nazo-taichou would be happy with her. Momo ran as quickly as she could, even Flash-stepping a little, towards the Fifth Sector. She had a good time with Shiro and his new friends, that Shiramae lady and the Tengu girl, Ao.

Momo slowed as she reached the door to Sakane's office. She was about to open it when she heard an unusual voice. Momo had never been one to eavesdrop, but there was something really fishy about this. She pulled in her Reiatsu so no one would sense her. Putting her ear against the door, she could just barely make out snippets of what they were saying.

"_Hiya there, - - - - - - -sama," _She couldn't make out the name he'd said, but she knew the voice was that snake, Ichimaru Gin. What was he doing with Nazo-taichou? _"Long time no see."_

There was another voice, a much deeper voice that seemed like it should be familiar to her, and instilled both happiness and horror in her. _"Yes, indeed. As Sakane-chan here was saying, her - - - - - - - freed me from - - - - - -,"_ it was almost unintelligible, now.

"_Wait!"_ came Sakane's startled voice, _"Shh… we have company."_

Hinamori's eyes widened. She heard something that sounded like a Shikai activation and waited for the pain to come. For a few long moments, nothing happened.

She was startled when the door, slid open, revealing a semi-serious looking Nazo Sakane. When she caught sight of Hinamori, she face twisted into her usual grin. "Oh, Hinamori-chan! It's just you. I thought it might have been a pervert. People think I'm too insane to realize that they're there. It's kinda insulting, actually," she rambled. "Well, come in, come in." She moved out of the way and allowed her lieutenant to enter. "I hope you don't mind, but I already have some company."

Momo stared in slight terror at Ichimaru-taichou, who was seated at the low table. "Hiya, Hinamori-chan."

"He – Hello, Ichimaru-taichou," she managed. She took a seat across from the creepy-taichou while Nazo-taichou poured the tea.

Of course, Nazo-taichou was babbling in that way she does so well, with a kind of informative tone mixed in with some astonishment. "Gin and I have been hanging out for a while now. At first we were just, like, tea buddies, but then it escalated to the point where we're a different kind of buddy," Wait, was Nazo-taichou implying what she thought she was implying… oh wait, she wasn't just implying it. Momo blushed as her captain continued, "Ichimaru-taichou is really, really, really, good in-"

"Sakane, yer makin' the poor girl blush." Hinamori never thought she'd be thankful to Ichimaru.

She blinked. "Oh. Oh, silly me," she said, blushing as cupping her cheek with one hand while making dismissive hand gestures. Suddenly, jumped slightly, her head cocking to the side, as if she was listening to something. "Yeah… uh-huh… got it!" she finished cheerfully. She turned her gaze to Hinamori. "You can do it now, I guess."

Momo felt a moderate pressure on her shoulder. "Hello, Hinamori-kun."

She gasped. No. No. No, there was no way! No way was he here! "A – A – A – Aizen… -taichou?"

He laughed, and she could feel the vibration through her shoulder, "Aizen Sousuke, yes, taichou, no. Sakane-chan is taichou, Hinamori-kun. You can call me Aizen-sama, if you simply must."

Hinamori burst into tears. She didn't know whether to be frightened or overjoyed. She looked at her captain's smiling face. No, it was too gentle. Her smile was much more manic than that. Worriedly, she noticed Nazo-taichou's hair. Her hair was tied up, yes, but the hair tie was the wrong color. It was normally a that same aqua green as her eyes, and now it was orange. Also, the curl of her bangs… they were curling toward the wrong direction. It took a moment, but she steeled herself and pronounced surely, "This is an illusion." Swiftly, she turned and grasped at the hand that wasn't on her shoulder. She grabbed something that wasn't there, and it all shattered.

In her hand was the green handle of Kyouka Suigetsu. Hinamori turned her gaze upwards at Aizen's condescending glare. That was that glare. That glare that he'd given her before he – before he…

Aizen's grip on her tightened.

"Hinamori-chan, I think you and I have some talking to do," said her captain, except, her voice sounded so serious, so… so…

Momo turned, her terror showing plainly on her face. Nazo-taichou had that same exact look on her face. "No… no… no! It can't be! Taichou, they're just manipulating you! Just like they manipulated those Arrancar! Please, Taichou!" she cried.

She scoffed, flipping her bangs out of her face. "Now, Hinamori, you do realize that you're a fool. If only you'd learned after Sousuke betrayed you, but nope. You had to switch your admiration over to another. I pity you, I really do," she said drawing her Katana.

"So, Sakane, remember that lil' errant thought I told ya 'bout earlier?" Ichimaru drawled.

Nazo-taichou blinked, and then her face twisted with a sadistic, toothy grin, revealing the fangs she called teeth. "You really wanna see me like that, Gin?"

"Sure," he stated.

"Hmm…" Sakane started thoughtfully. "Should I kill her first, or should I just do it?"

"I – I – I'll scream!" Hinamori exclaimed.

Sakane sent her a bored looked. "There are sound inhibiting Kido on this room. Scream all you like, Hinamori, actually, I encourage it. Go ahead. _Scream._" She commanded. She stepped towards her lieutenant. "You know, I think I'll just do it."

With that she expertly stabbed her blade into Hinamori's chest, and the girl cried out in pain. It was a burning pain. As much as people seemed to believe that cuts from swords were supposed to be cold, they were wrong. They _burned_.

Precisely, Sakane dug into her lieutenants chest, her hand curling around something that seemed important. Hinamori screamed. She could feel it. She could her captain's hand wrapping around her heart. With a quick jerk, Sakane pulled the life sustaining organ right out of her chest, her blood seeping between her long, delicate fingers and stared at the mass of flesh in her hand curiously.

Slowly, Hinamori's mind began to fade, her vision reduced to a rapidly shrinking tunnel. But she was just lucid enough to be disgusted when Sakane stared her straight in the eyes as she bit into Momo's warm, bloodied heart.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ichimaru watched, half in amazement, half in disgust as Sakane casually ate Hinamori's heart as if she were eating an apple. "Uck, muscle," she scowled, but kept taking bites between phrases, "I'm not much of a muscle person. I prefer the soft flesh on the underside on the forearm, actually. Muscle is all leathery, and the heart in particular I would compare, perhaps, to orange peels, if we're talking texture, but the taste is like Kielbasa," Ichimaru wondered how anyone could manage to ramble about such a morbid thing like that.

When she finished, she turned back to Gin, Hinamori's blood running down her chin. She sheathed her Katana. "That was amusing. I should listen to your suggestions more often, Gin."

"Well then maybe tonight we could-"

"Later," she cut him off. The Fujin turned back to Sousuke, putting her business face on. "Aizen-san. I guessing you enjoyed that. As much as I'm sure you protest to preforming such menial tasks, may I ask you to clean up that mess," she said, gesturing to Hinamori's corpse. "Then it would be convenient for all of us if you used that Kyouka Suigetsu of yours to take her place until your assistance is needed again. Trust me, it shouldn't be long."

Aizen stared her down with that glare. She mirrored it automatically. "Your sister said something about you getting me to the Spirit King's realm?"

Sakane rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, and technically, Amaterasu is a woman. So it's the Spirit Queen. And it's called Takamagahara. Get it right," she said disrespectively.

Ichimaru sent his old comrade a look that said 'just go with it.'

Sousuke stared at him for a moment before relenting with a shrug. "Yes, Sakane-sama," he said, almost like it was painful to say.

She clapped her hands together happily. "Excellent!" Suddenly, she turned around and grabbed Gin by the sleeve and pulled him with her, "Come on, you, let's try out that idea you were talking about."

Gin gave Sousuke a meek smirk as the Fujin dragged him towards the bedroom. "See ya, Sousuke," he said.

"Goodbye, Gin," he semi-laughed, "Have fun."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . ..

**A/N:** O.O OMFG I think I just killed Momo. O.o Wow… I've wanted to do that for so long… and finally… wow… *sniff* I think I'm getting a little teary eyed…

I'm so heartless. Just like Sakane :D

Aizen isn't out of character. This is just his least favorite part of his plan. He has to brown nose for a few days.

So… I want to know your reactions to the murder of Hinamori Momo. According to the poll on my profile, she is the most hated character. XD Just tell me, did it make you sad, did you laugh manically, or did you just not care? So review and tell me your opinions, kudasai! :D


	14. Operation Inoue, Phase One

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Fourteen: Operation Inoue, Phase One

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_"My best friend gave me_

_The best advice  
_

_He said each day's a gift_

_And not a given right."_

**-If Today Was Your Last Day, Nickelback**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Orihime sat out in the gardens. It was about midday, but the skies were light gray and cloudy. There was a certain quality to the air, making the breeze seem cool and wet. Yet, on her skin, it was refreshing. She had decided to wear clothes from the Living World today, a long, flow-y light pink skirt and her favorite tee-shirt, the pink one with the three little white things near the collar.

She sat on a stone bench, near a lower part of the wall where she could see over it. For a stone bench, it was rather comfortable. Maybe it was enchanted or something. Maybe it was made of, like, special stone that only the Youkai knew existed that was really soft! Oh, then could there be plants that only Youkai knew about? What if there was a plant that could… make you fly! Or… or… a plant that could allow you to shoot lasers from your ears! That would be really cool.

Excited by the idea, Orihime stood and began inspecting the plants more closely. She didn't see anything she hadn't seen before. Orihime frowned, disappointed. But maybe they only grew under certain conditions! Yeah!

Well, at least she still had hope. She sat back down on the bench and pulled her charm out of her shoulder bag. It looked like a little fox, made with magic and a little bit of fur from each of Rentaro's nine tails. It was about the size of her palm, and weighed about the same as a small doll. After Hikaru-san had finished with the enchantment to keep it all together, Chinatsu grabbed it and – rather roughly, actually – shoved in an odd, blue-ish stone. She said that, along with its original purpose of warding off minor Youkai, it would amplify her Shun-Shun-Rikka's abilities so that she'd be able to heal more than superficial cuts and bruises on herself. Now, should, say, her arm get cut off (Yeah, real creative), she'd be able to reverse it.

The wind suddenly shifted, coming in strong from the east, blowing the talisman out of her hand and through one of the slots in the fence.

Orihime gasped. She doubted that Chinatsu-obaasan had another one of those gems, and as much as he had tried to hide it, Rentaro didn't seem to enjoy losing the fur.

Hastily, she stepped over to the wall and dropped her hands and knees, dirt getting on her skirt and hands. She slid her hand through the slot, the rusted metal opening only barely wide enough to fit her hand, let alone her arm. She stretched, straining to grasp the little doll. As she realized that the attempt was futile, she pulled her arm out of the hole, scratching it only slightly.

She stood up straight and dusted off her skirt, giving the short, easy to climb wall the stink eye. As long as she was on Soma lands, she was safe from any major Youkai coming to get her and eat her or steal her from the Kitsune. She'd only be over there for a few seconds to grab the talisman, so seriously, what could happen? Despite the fact she was on Youkai lands, she was still in Seireitei, so none of the minor Youkai would immediately warp out of nowhere and start chomping at her. What could go wrong?

Carefully, she threw one leg over the wall, using her hands to pull herself up. Hefting up her other leg, she slid off the fence and landed steadily on the tiled streets of Seireitei. Quickly, she bent over to retrieve the little doll, her hand clasped around the soft little charm and she returned it to its rightful place in her bag.

Mission accomplished.

She turned, then gasped, her path blocked by the sharp steel of a sword. Her eyes followed the blade to its source, a greenish-blue eyed woman dressed in spring green clothing with spiky black hair that fell just past her ears. Her face, oddly, reminded her of Ulquiorra, with that nearly unreadable expression that almost seemed sad at times, and markings the same color as her clothes covering her eyelids and twirling across her forehead. "You will come with me, Senka Maiden," she said, her voice airy and… sad.

Holy crap, déjà vu!

The wind whipped up to the point where she thought it was going to carry her away. "Oh," the black-haired Youkai woman started, "And… I'm sorry."

And they were gone, carried away by the wind.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tatsuki slipped on her oven-mitts, carefully pulling the door down and removing her precious apple pie. She returned the door to its original position and set the pie on the counter, not even waiting for it to cool before cutting a slice. Instead, she set the slice in the freezer for a minute before removing it, its heat effectively countered by the intense cold of the refrigerator. She grabbed a fork from the drawer and took a careless bite of pie. She figured she was going through about ten pies a week. But who cares? She wasn't fat, she was pregnant. There was a huge difference.

Suddenly, the wall next to she was crashed in.

She jumped, almost dropping her pie, but thankfully she regained her balance in time to save it. "What in the world!" she exclaimed.

Through the rubble, a figure stepped in. It was a woman, her head of long, pig-tailed black hair held high. She clinked as she stepped, for it seemed that the woman had an odd taste for gold jewelry, with a wide, gold choker and huge gold hoop earrings.

Tatsuki immediately grabbed a not-so-decorative Katana from its perch on the wall, unsheathing it and throwing the leather scabbard aside. "Who the hell are you?" she screamed.

As the woman walked towards her, the air around her got colder and colder until Tatsuki could see her breath.

The woman spoke, her voice cold as she spoke in clipped tones, "My name is unimportant at the moment." The ice blue marks that framed her eyes and lined her brow didn't move as she spoke. Her icy blue Hakama pants swayed lightly as she took her slow steps towards the armed woman, the long, loose sleeves of the same color shifting as she walked. "From what I have been told, I'm assuming that I shan't be able to convince you to accompany me without a fight, and, quite frankly," her face twisted in a sinister grin as she unsheathed her sword took one last quick stride, swinging the sword across her body. Tatsuki easily parried the blow. "I don't mind a bit," she finished.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Substitute Shinigami ran through the streets of the Fifty-Third District of East Rukongai alongside his old friends Ikkaku and Yumichika. Even if the fight between the Tengu and Kitsune was over for now, that didn't stop the minor Youkai from causing chaos. They'd been assigned the tedious task of clearing out the demonic creatures. By "clearing out," though, they meant "indiscriminately slaughter." They'd seen some crazy shit out there the past few days, but even then they couldn't believe what they were running from.

Another burst of flame destroyed the buildings behind them. "**GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**" it roared.

Their path was suddenly blocked by a giant bird's foot, and it roared again, the thing's crippling roar shaking the ground. "Dammit! There's no out-running this thing!" Ichigo shouted.

Yumichika flashed up next to him. "We're going to have to fight it!" he yelled back.

Ikkaku appeared on his other side and grinned, "Well, I'm not too sure about you sissies, but I've got no problem with that course of action! SPILT APART, HOUZOKIMARU!" He charged at the thing.

"WAIT! IKKAKU, WATCH OUT FOR THE-" Yumichika started as the thing bent over and began furiously… um… pecking at him. "… beak," Yumichika finished lamely.

Madarame swung at the huge, fire-breathing chicken's beak to no avail. Ichigo sighed. He better help him before he hurt himself-

"KUROSAKI ICHIGO!" came an unfamiliar voice.

Ichigo turned to see a silver-haired man dressed in dull gold running towards him. "I'm a little busy, here!" he said as he grabbed Zangetsu and swung it toward the "Basan" as that Ao had called it when she briefed them on the different kinds of Youkai that could be in out here, "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" he yelled as a wave of bluish energy shot at the thing. It hit, of course, but was seemed to have no effect on the chicken as it continued to peck at Ikkaku.

Wordlessly, the mystery man, a Kitsune, Ichigo decided based on his hair and attire, walked passed him, nine tawny tails surrounded by wild crimson reiatsu flowing out behind him. He stood straight, eying the monstrous bird sternly. He pointed and his feet, "DOWN, BOY!" he shouted.

Head perking up comically, the thing looked at the Kitsune and clucked.

"DOWN, MATILDA!" he repeated.

The Basan complied, plopping ungracefully on its bottom.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Matilda?

Ikkaku lay sprawled out on the ground with only a few minor wounds and maybe some serious bruising, but the thing must've hit a pressure point or something, because his face wouldn't stop twitching. "You see, Ikkaku, this is what happens when you rush into battle like a clumsy buffoon," Yumichika scolded.

"SHUT IT!" he retorted.

The Kitsune turned back to Ichigo, and for the first time Ichigo noticed how damn desperate this guy must be, "Kurosaki-san, I'm Soma Rentaro, you've probably heard of me. Your friend Inoue Orihime has been under my protection for the past few days," he spoke quickly with an urgent tone, "but early this afternoon, she disappeared from the gardens has been missing since," Rentaro seemed to choke on his words for a moment, "I – I can't smell her, sense her, anything! _Please_, you've got to help me find her!"

"Orihime's in missing?" Ichigo asked astonished. Suddenly, his Soul Pager/cell phone rang, the chorus of "Stay Beautiful" by Diggy-Mo playing, indicating that he was being dialed from his home phone. Tatsuki must've lost her cell phone. "One minute," he held up a finger and pulled his phone out, holding up to his ear.

"Moshi-moshi? Tatsuki?" his eyes widened as the audio reached him, "Suki?"

. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .

"OH NO YOU DON'T, BITCH!" the woman shrieked as she knocked the corded phone from her hand.

Tatsuki turned and socked the cold whore in the face with a nasty right hook. She was pretty sure she'd gotten Ichigo on the line. Hopefully he was hearing this.

"Goddammit, get out of my damned house!" she screamed at the woman before pulling on her mask, the only thing she could do while in her human form.

The ice bitch dropped and swung her legs upwards, "Not with you!" Tatsuki dodged the kick and retaliated with a roundhouse kick worthy of fuckin' Chuck Norris. The woman took the hit in the face, and Tatsuki felt the woman's nose break.

"Shit!" she shrieked as she stumbled backwards, clutching her nose. She threw Tatsuki an angry glare as she growled. "_ENOUGH OF THIS IDIOTIC FOOLERY!_" She held her hands out in front of her and simply shrieked. Tatsuki braced herself as the wall of concentrated air hit her head on, throwing her into the wall. She slid downwards, her muscles going limp and the Katana dropping harmlessly at her side, her mask shattering.

"There! Now let's see you fight me now, bitch!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Tatsuki? Tatsuki!" he yelled. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Wasting no time, he hung up and pressed his number three speed dial. As soon as he heard the click of someone picking up, he started talking. Shouting, actually. "Lillinette, wake up Starrk."

"But-"

"RIGHT NOW."

"Eeep! Okay, okay, you got it, King!"

A few moments later, a sleepy voice yawned into the receiver. "Mmm?"

"Starrk, gather up all the remaining Espada and meet me in Karakura," Ichigo commanded.

"Eh? May I ask why?"

Ichigo clawed at his hairline. "Somebody kidnapped Tatsuki!" He heard his Primera's quiet gasp. Without warning, the Arrancar hang up. Good. He understood the urgency of the situation.

"Excuse me, Kurosaki-san, from the sound of this, we may be facing the same enemy," the Kitsune suddenly interjected. "All of us. First Shimizu Hakyu went missing, then my 'Hime-chan, and now your Tatsuki-san."

"First, the Espada and I are going to search Karakura. We'll send word if we find anything, and if we find nothing, I'll return to Soul Society immediately," Ichigo paused, "With three of my most dedicated, loyal, and strong warriors."

The Kitsune narrowed his eyes. "So we have little to worry about?"

Ichigo made a sound reminiscent of a snarl. Did this guy know what he sounded like? "Are you insane? We have a shitload to worry about!"

Rentaro's eyes widened, but he nodded before running off.

Ichigo glance back to the two members of the eleventh division. "Hey guys! I've got some things to take of in the World of the Living! When you head back to Seireitei, tell everybody, Orihime and Tatsuki have gone missing!"

They nodded seriously.

Ichigo ripped open a Garganta and hopped through, closing it behind him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Yay! Now the real action starts! And we get to see some epically badass Ichigo and three currently unnamed Espada. In this story, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Szayel, Halibel, Starrk, and Nelliel Tu Oderschwank all survived. And as of Unmasked., one of those is Canon! Good for Halibel (Although it seems more realistic that Grimmjow would survive, but Kubo must obviously be smoking something, so I'm gonna let it go XD)!

So… for first real fight scene ever (Tatsuki vs Nazo Chikaru), how did I do? It was kinda short, but it's the quality that counts! ^.^ I wanna know your opinions!


	15. Torn

**A/N:** Anonymous reviewer "Classified," I apologize that chapter 13 made you nauseous (Looking back, I'm gonna re-word part of it that made _me_ feel sick after writing it). XD I was going for gory, not disgusting. But remember, this is Sakane we're talking about… while she's not gonna be eating anymore hearts, she's got some more "screen time" in the near future (perhaps even in this chapter) that involves actions that could be considered torture (And cannibalism. Don't forget cannibalism). But it was my sick mind that came up with this (And Kanoko Sakurakoji, who drew/wrote the manga that gave me the idea), so I doubt I'll be able to gauge whether or not my work has become too disturbing or not (Mickaela seemed fine with it… in an eww sort of way).

Okay, most people would say that there are three worlds in Bleach. They're wrong. There are four: The World of the Living, Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and Jigoku (Hell). If we wanna get _really_ technical, then there are five, including the Spirit King's Realm, but that will be looked at closer in the second installment. You see, this one, Hidden Enemies, takes place mostly in Soul Society. The second one, "Sunlit Summons," takes place mostly in Takamagahara, or the Spirit King's Realm, and the final story, "The Last Feather," takes place in the World of the Living, mostly in Japan and some in Europe.

Actually… after I re-word chapter 13 and overhaul the A/N of Chapter one, I'm going to lower the rating to "T". Mainly because I'll get more views that way, and having an "M" rated fic on my profile is questionable (I am fourteen years old XD), and while this has citrus flavored events, it has nothing even vaguely explicit.

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Fifteen: Torn

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"_You belong to me_

_My snow white queen_

_There's nowhere to run_

_So let's just get it over_

_._

_You can't escape_

_The twisted way_

_You think of me_

_._

_I can't save your life_

_Though nothing I bleed for_

_Is more tormenting_

_I'm losing my mind_

_And you just stand there_

_And stare as my world divides."_

**-Snow White Queen, Evanescence**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

All of them were gathered in the meeting hall for a joint meeting, including the Tengu princess Shimizu Ao, her page and bodyguard Ichidou Tamashi, the Kitsune clan leader Soma Rentaro, some older woman from his clan called Soma Chinatsu, and all of the Ryoka. The head captain had already been informed of Kurosaki Ichigo's departure, although he did not yet know as to why. They were almost completely ready to begin the meeting, except for one thing.

Nazo Sakane, Hinamori Momo and Ichimaru Gin were nowhere to be found. It was an odd predicament as well, as Kira Izuru was present, yet he didn't know where his captain or his girlfriend or his girlfriend's captain was.

Something here was fishy. Ichimaru Gin, the only surviving captain that had participated in Aizen's rebellion, was absent along with the sole Youkai captain. It had only been recently, but Nazo Sakane had exerting a lot more sanity than she usually did, and Ichimaru sometimes seemed as if he was on his toes, nothing like the cunning snake he had been during the defection, for sure, but a less confident version of that.

Hmmm… Sakane…

"Soutaichou, sir," began the woman from the Soma clan, "But perhaps we could continue without Nazo-sama or Ichimaru-san?"

Yamamoto thought a moment. If his sudden suspicions were correct, then it would be a great idea to do just that. "Yes, Soma Chinatsu-san, I believe that would be a wise course of action," he cleared his throat, "Soma Rentaro, you may address the assembly."

The Kitsune stood, and his distress was immediately apparent. His eyes had darkened, his shoulders tense, and his movement terse. "Four hours ago Inoue Orihime disappeared from the Soma family gardens. I believe she was lured over the gate by some means and abducted from there. Her captor, or captors, would want her for one of the two reasons anyone could want a Senka Maiden, either to consume her flesh and blood to gain long life and temporary god-like strength, or to-" the silver-haired youth choked on his words, obviously unable to continue. Yet an continuation was unnecessary. They got the message.

The captain-general nodded solemnly. "And your other message?" he prompted.

Soma Rentaro took a deep breath to calm himself. "As of two hours ago, Kurosaki Tatsuki was abducted from her home as well."

This news brought a collective gasp. Kurosaki Tatsuki was perhaps the third strongest being in the four worlds, preceded only by Yamamoto and Kurosaki Ichigo himself. The fact that such a powerful being could be overcome was… disturbing. Although, because of her condition, she was unable to eject her soul from her body, which made sense, because no one was anywhere near their true strength while in a Gigai or whatever their vessel was.

The Kitsune continued. "Tatsuki-san contacted Kurosaki-san via their… home telephone, I believe the device was called. The communication device was apparently knock from her hands, and the voice of her attacker was feminine. After the sounds of battle ceased, with the attacker apparently being victorious, Kurosaki Ichigo-san called some people I assume were friends of his-"

Ishida Uryu interrupted him, "Who?" He began listing off a few names, "Yuzu, Karin, Isshin, Jinta, Ururu, Ryuken-"

Rentaro shook his head. "No. Nothing as normal as that. They had strange names," he paused thoughtfully. "One phrase caught my ear, though. He mentioned the 'remaining Espada,'" Rentaro finished.

Yamamoto narrowed his eyes. "It seems that Kurosaki has been keeping information from us. We were unaware of any remaining Espada in Hueco Mundo. If they're responsible for this, then it's his fault for not telling us about them so the Twelfth Division could be on the lookout for strange Reiatsu signatures in Karakura Town."

Uryuu seemed ready to protest, but the Kitsune cut him off. "Kurosaki Ichigo expressed the intention of searching Karakura, and he said that if he found nothing, then he would return with reinforcements. From the way he put it, these reinforcements, should they be necessary, would be rather powerful."

Interesting. The most power people in Karakura were all in Soul Society right now. The only people left in the Living World that would have any small amount of useful ability would be Kurosaki Isshin and Ishida Ryuken, the second of which expressed extreme distaste for Shinigami and Soul Society and would be unlikely to assist.

The Head-Captain was about to comment when the doors to the meeting room were slammed open, revealing a hysterical Avici prison guard.

"AIZEN SOUSUKE IS MISSING FROM HIS CELL!"

And all Hell broke loose.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Aizen watched steadily as the Fujin woman set up the different colored stones. The first being electric-looking gray and yellow, the color of storms, the second being a vibrant red, the color of life, the third being a silvery opal, the color of the moon, and the final was a glorious gradation of yellow, orange, and red, the colors of the sun.

The building they were in was mostly underground, the only upper portion being a small shack with various little furniture pieces placed around. The entrance to the cavern they were in was in the bottom of an old thatch storage box, beneath the false bottom's false bottom. He had to admit, this woman's insanity and slight paranoia worked pretty well for her.

She turned towards the back of the large main cavern were two of her three sisters were fussing over Inoue-chan, who was bound, gagged, and barely lucid at the moment. "Nanami! Chikaru! Get over here! And where is Fujiwa?"

The one dressed with the blue markings, the one that had brought Kurosaki Tatsuki, Nazo Chikaru, she believed her name was, scowled. "Fujiwa is seeing to it that that Vizored bitch you requested for me to retrieve has adequate quarters," she sneered.

Aizen had already gathered that Chikaru wasn't all too bright, despite her above-average vocabulary. The timid one that had retrieved Inoue, on the other hand, was extremely intelligent, for after she delivered Inoue to her sister, she distanced herself from the Senka altogether, refusing to participate in the cruel tormenting and dedicating her time to making sure that one that would incriminate them the most was calm and comfortable. Like himself, she held no illusions. This was a suicide operation.

Too bad he wasn't going to stick around long enough to participate in the bloodshed.

"Fujiwa! Get your scrawny little fass in here and help me!" Sakane called angrily.

The green-marked Fujin hurried into the main room, her eyes on her feet.

"Now, Nanami, you stand at Tsukuyomi, that silver one, Chikaru, at Susanoo, the stormy one, Fujiwa, go stand at Amaterasu, the sunny one. I'll stand at Izanagi," she commanded to her sisters before kneeling down and writing a few symbols in chalk on the cave floor.

Sakane took a step back. She'd already explained to him that it was much easier to get to Takamagahara from Soul Society than it was from the Living World, and so any rituals that they may have there were completely obsolete.

She began speaking in a way that one would recite a Kidou incantation. "Lord of the moon, we humbly seek access to your domain. Lady of the Sun, we humbly seek to bask in your rays. Lord of the storms, oh great Susanoo, the daughters of the great lord of the winds humbly seek to dwell where the winds have no influence. Lord of life, birth, we humbly seek to enter your lands."

As she recited the customized incantation, a pillar of energy from each crystal appeared, rays of silvery ribbon from the one she called Tsukuyomi, bright rays of glorious sunlight from Amaterasu, a column of storm cloud and lightening from Susanoo, and as she finished with Izanagi, a door appeared at the center of the three and creaked open. The sisters stepped away from the crystals.

Sakane turned to face him. "Well, Aizen-san, we appreciated your assistance. I sincerely hope you're able to accomplish whatever it is you wish to accomplish in Takamagahara. Sayonara," she said with hints of sadness, but not enough for him to even vaguely believe it was sincere.

Aizen thanked politely and stepped into the bright light that led to Takamagahara.

Finally. His goal was near.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As soon the door closed, another figure hopped into the cavern.

"Oi, bosssss, I've brought the clan leader like you asssked…" came an airy, hiss-like voice.

Ichimaru looked towards the mysterious figure, a lithe woman with long black hair tied into a long ponytail and red-ish orange eyes, dressed completely in the a dark maroon color. The petite woman dropped the person she carrying onto the ground with a certain finesse. She moved with the same fluidity and grace of captain Soi Fon's troop of Ninjas.

Sakane perked up and spread her arms in a welcoming gesture. "Ah, Chiume-san, I've been waiting for you," Sakane gestured to Fujiwa to clear away the crystals from the room, and the younger woman complied with a nod. The red-marked Fujin strode over to Orihime and yanked her up by her upper arm, the girl making a fearful sound. Sakane drew her Katana, causing the girl's eyes to grow to the size of saucers as she simultaneously cringed and struggled. Inoue cried out in pain as the Fujin carefully cut into the flesh of the Senka's wrist. She retrieved a small faceted glass vial from her Haori and pressed it against the wound as the red blood quickly filled the relatively small vessel.

The Fujin replaced the vial's stopper, while still holding the girl's arm. Immediately afterword, Sakane lifted the terrified girl's wrist to her lips, sinking her tongue into the fairly deep cut. The girl let out a muffled yelp of pain and struggled against the Fujin's grip to no avail. When Sakane pulled away, both Ichimaru and Orihime were surprises to see that the wound had completely disappeared.

Casually wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her Haori, Sakane tossed Chiume the vial, which she caught skillfully. "There," Sakane said off-handedly, "There's your reward. A wondrously miraculous cure-all – for Youkai, that is – the purest blood of a Senka Maiden. If I could bottle this stuff, I'd make millions, but unfortunately," she ran a tantalizing finger over Inoue's jugular, "There's a limited supply."

The woman, Chiume, stiffened slightly as her brow lowered slightly, the only noticeable sign of suspicion, as she regarded Orihime and Sakane with a steady gaze. This was the face of person who was beginning to have regrets.

"I agreed to kill Sssoma Terusssai for you, Sssakane, and Ssshimizu here," she nudged the unconscious body with her foot, "complicated thingsss. We may have sssome company sssometime sssoon."

Sakane waved her hand dismissively. "All that could be coming would be Ao, Rentaro, Shiramae Mira, and that ever-meddling old woman Chinatsu," she said, "Trust me, everyone in Seireitei are running about like a basan with its head cut off because their hated nemesis has escaped from the most fortified prison in Soul Society, and Kurosaki Ichigo is in the World of the Living looking for clues as to where his wife is. And I even bribed that fool Ichidou Tamashi to leave us alone for a vial of Senka blood so he can cure his _dear mother's_ illness. All formidable opposition is too distracted to worry about a missing Ryoka, even if she is in mortal danger," Sakane sighed, "Now, we just have to wait for Tamashi, that Harionago I owe money too, and the Jorogumo that I got this hideout from so I can give them their payment, and then we can eat," she stated, tracing little patterns on Inoue's arm absently with her fingers.

Ichimaru threw her a funny look. "Why would you owe a Harionago money?"

Sakane's eyes widened slightly and a faint blush was visible on her face. "I – uh, I – well," she stuttered.

"She made a bet that she could catch a Kesaran-pasaran before the Harionago did," Nanami said flatly, "She lost."

"It's not my fault that those things are so damn cute! So fluffy and adorable…" Sakane cooed.

"My sisters are insane," Chikaru called in a dead-panned manner.

"Says the one with all that weird gold jewelry. I mean really, how do you even get half that stuff on?" Nanami retorted.

"Well at least I wear cotton! Not that tacky costume velvet!"

"At least I'm not a beserker idiot."

"Well-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Sakane screamed as they both scurried into opposite corners of the cave. She suddenly gripped Inoue's arm tighter than she had before, jerking her upwards to about eye-level. "Now, how can we terrify you more than we already have… hmm… AH! I know." Once again, the Fujin lowered her lips to Orihime's arm, higher this time. For a moment, Orihime wondered what she was going to do, and only when Sakane's lips parted did it click.

The Fujin sank her teeth into the tender flesh of her lower forearm, a lush tearing sound resounding in her ears. A scream broke out of her throat, muffled by her restraints. A shock of sharp pain shot up her arm as the sharp teeth grazed bone. Sakane took her time before tearing away, sending a harsh, ripping pain through her. A huge, gaping hole was left where the woman had torn away the flesh, bloody bone and muscle clearly visible.

After a few eternal moments of pain, Sakane slipped a pair of blue hairpins into Orihime's hair. "Hm. Heal it," Sakane said with a light, falsely kind voice, "Quickly, quickly, before you go into shock."

Orihime stammered to say the words to activate Souten Kisshun, speech difficult as it was through the shock and the agony. After a couple failed attempts, she successfully summoned the orange shield, as it began to reject the gruesome wound.

Sakane grinned as the wound completely disappeared. "You see, if things worked differently, you'd be an infinite source of Senka flesh," Orihime's blood covered her chin and ran down onto the orange half-shirt she had changed into earlier, "But, in order to get the full effects – which are insanely impressive – we'll have to kill you in the process. Don't get me wrong, I benefited greatly from that, but as the stereotype goes for people like myself," She leaned forward until her face was just inches from Orihime's, "I want more."

She frown and turned away, fixing her gaze on Fujiwa, who was looking more green than usual. Suddenly, the small woman ran into the antechamber where Tatsuki was being held. Momently later, the sound of retching was heard, and it wasn't the pregnant woman.

Nanami scowled and made a disgusted sound. "You're weak stomach will be your undoing, Fujiwa, I swear to god."

Sakane scoffed. "Leave her be. She may be strong in body, yet her mind is still weak."

Chikaru raised an eyebrow. "She didn't even help in usurping Otosan."

Sakane gave her an amused look. "Chikaru, I did most of the dirty work, so you can't complain."

The blue Fujin shrugged and leaned back against the wall.

Once again, Sakane released Orihime from her grasp, the frightened woman falling in a heap at the Fujin's feet. "I'll return to you later."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Okay, I should have chapter 13 fixed by the time I post this. If not, then, whatev.

A Harionago is a woman with deadly barbed hair that she uses to trap her prey.

A Jorogumo is a spider-demon Youkai… thing.

A Kesaran-pasaran is a floating fluff ball creature :D Dey ish ADORWABLE!


	16. Recollection of Past

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Sixteen: Recollection of Past

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"_Caress the one_

_That never fading rain_

_In your heart_

_To tears of snow-white sorrow."_

**-Amaranth, Nightwish**

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"_Sir, we need your approval on the plans for Hotaru-sama's funeral," his advisor said carefully, a tone that suggested that he was talking to someone who could snap at any moment._

_He was. Hakyu sighed. "And for Katsuro?"_

_The man's eyes softened. Hakyu recognized it. Pity. The fact that his sorrow was so apparent to those around him merely caused more sorrow. "The child's funeral will take place at the same time as Hotaru-sama."_

_Hakyu nodded, a tight pain growing in his chest. He dismissed the advisor and walked back to his chambers. Her chambers. Their chambers. The Tengu settled onto the bed, her side, and buried his face in the pillow. Her pillow. The ever strong scent of peaches and happiness had yet to fade._

_Feeling a wetness running down his face, he realized he was crying. He could barely believe it. _He_ was weeping._

_It had been his fault. All his fault. He should have known, he should have put the clues together to form the blatantly obvious answer. If only they had known, they would've been more careful._

_The Senka Maidens all carried a heinous curse to begin with, but he never imagined that the gods would have inflicted such a fate upon them. If a Senka is not taken to be the wife of a Youkai clan leader, she is devoured. If a Senka is taken to be the wife of a Youkai clan leader, then her fate is sealed. Of course. Of course, it made so much sense, as well. A Senka Maiden, no matter what magic she possesses, is, for all intents and purposes, _human_. A Youkai child, who not only needs more nutrients than a human child, but also tend to have other appendages, such as tails or… or… _wings,_ would be too much for the human body to handle. Thus, the one-hundred percent mortality rate for the mother._

_All Senka Maidens die eventually. They're human. Of course, and that was why he had thought that his mother had simply died of old age. But no. He had now killed two Senka, his mother, and his wife._

_Hakyu sobbed._

_. . . . . . . . . ._

_The funeral had been attended by many different nobles of various species. Ame-Onna, the Fujin sisters, Tanuki, Shirohebi, Mujina, Bakeneko, Okami, Yuki-Onna, Inugami, some Kitsune from the Todanabu clan, and even some other Tengu from the Usui clan._

_After the funeral service, he had a brief conversation with the clan leader Usui Kyo before taking his leave. He walked calmly from the gathering until he was sure no one could see him, and fled further into the surrounding forests, curling down near a large tree, allowing the tears he'd been holding back to flow freely down his face._

"_Hmph. Pathetic," came an icy voice._

_The Tengu swiftly wiped his eyes and turned to the voice, a Yuki-Onna had followed him. "What do you want, Shiramae-san?" he asked._

_She made a disgusted noise. "Get up, Shimizu. I thought Tengu were supposed to be proud."_

"_Not when they've lost everything," he said, burying his face in his hands._

"_Especially when they've lost everything."_

_He gave her a curious look. "What do you know, Shiramae? Have you lost the most important person in the world to you, only to find that you were the cause?"_

_Shiramae's expression softened slightly before hardening once more. "Shimizu Hakyu, I say this to you as a fellow clan leader, _stand the fuck up and get the hell over it_,_" _she spat harshly. Hakyu cringed. "You're a clan leader. You have a clan to see to. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like my entire clan to fall apart just because the mistress of the house passed away. I will say this one more time, Shimizu, _stand up and stand proud,_" she finished._

_Hakyu rose to his feet, his posture lax and his eyes on the ground._

"_Shimizu, I said _proud._ You're a Tengu for God's sake. Act like one, goddammit!" she exclaimed._

_The Tengu straightened his spine and raised his chin, his lip tightening in a superior scowl._

"_That's the spirit, Shimizu!" the Yuki-Onna encouraged, "I think I can see your nose getting longer already!"_

_Hakyu gave a short laugh at her joke. He walked towards her and set a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Shiramae Mira. Truly, thank you."_

"_Yeah, yeah. You canmake it up to me by inviting me over for tea sometime," she said sarcastically._

_Shimizu Hakyu gave her a weak smile. "I'll see what I can do."_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

"_And then I said, 'who needs a fan when you've got wings like those!"_

_Hakyu laughed along with his companions. It had been five years since his wife's death, and he'd gotten over it well. Very well. All thanks to Shiramae Mira._

_He took another gulp of Sake._

_A knock came at the door. "Hakyu-sama, there is Shiramae-sama is here to see you," a voice called, "She says I – it's urgent, sir!"_

_Hakyu set down the gourd and stood, brushing off his Hakama. He hadn't seen Shiramae in quite a few months. She didn't visit, send a missive, or anything, and he was beginning to wonder if they had gone too far too fast._

_He excused himself from the table and exited the room where his guest would be waiting. Carefully sliding open the Shoji door to the room where he normally entertained company, he was surprised to see Mira's attention directed at a small, blanket-wrapped bundle in her arms. The Tengu stood there, stunned._

"_Hello, Hakyu," she said without looking away from the child._

_His eyes widened to the size of saucers. "M – M – Mira… Is… is it mine?" he stammered out._

_Instead of answering the question, Shiramae held up the child so he could see, pushing back the blanket from around the child's head to reveal small tufts of black hair. "Well, she doesn't look like any Yuki-Onna I've ever seen, does she?" She looked at the child thoughtfully, "Except for those eyes. Ice-colored, but still a little blue. She got my face, too."_

_Hakyu kneeled next to her on a cushion. He was stunned beyond believe. This had certainly been an unexpected fruit of their relationship. "Did you… did you name her already?" he asked softly._

_Mira gave a small smile. "I was thinking, why not just name her 'Ao,' after Hotaru's favorite color?" Shiramae suggested._

_The Tengu's eyes began to burn with tears. "That… is perfect. Just one last problem though…"_

"_And what would that be?"_

"_What is her family name going to be?" Hakyu asked solemnly. No matter how you looked at it, as much as a blessing this was, she was still an illicit child._

_Shiramae just smiled, "Shimizu. Her name is Shimizu Ao. She's more Tengu than Yuki-Onna, and she needs to grow up with Tengu. I certainly can't teach her how to fly, now, can I?"_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tatsuki gazed down at the unconscious winged man. She _had_ been napping, but the idiot talked in his sleep too much. She had been going to wake him, but as soon as she caught the gist of what he was mumbling, she stopped, and just listened.

Poor guy. Well, at least that Shiramae person had helped him out.

She heard footsteps entering her room again. Tatsuki turned her gaze to look at the intruder, thinking it was just Fujiwa-san again, but she was wrong. It was the one with the red markings. Sakane, she thought her name was.

The Fujin said nothing, just stared at her with contempt for a few moments before shrugging and leaving.

Damn, what a total bitch.

Shortly after the red-marked one left, Fujiwa scurried – it really was the only word for it – in. "H – hello again, Kurosaki-san," she stuttered shyly. "Is there anything you need, perhaps something to drink, something to eat, more pillows?"

Tatsuki gave the girl a gentle smile. She felt so sorry for the youngest Fujin, she was too gentle and kind to truly be part of this, and although she had been the one to abduct Orihime, she only did so because she was commanded to. "No, thank you, Fujiwa-chan. I'll be fine for now. But maybe you could help out Orihime…?"

Fujiwa shook her head. "No, I can't. I wish I could, but Nee-sama would punish me if I did anything vaguely kind to the Senka Maiden," she said apologetically.

The Vizard narrowed her eyes. "I'm liking this Sakane chick less and less. What kind of punishment are we talking about?"

Fujiwa's eyes widened as a light blush creped across her cheeks. "Um… well… nee-san knows all my weakness, you see, and she… she uses them to her advantage…" her face was almost entirely red by the time she finished her sentence.

Tatsuki tilted her head. It took her a minute to realize what she was trying to say. "Oh… _wow_." She wouldn't have thought that the timid girl swung that way.

"Yeah… I _am_ over two-thousand years old, you know… most Youkai go either way, but…" she trailed off as she noticed the sudden fourth person in the room. Tatsuki hadn't noticed him until he actually spoke.

"Oh, so Fujiwa-chan doesn't like it when Sakane-chan gets out the-"

"SHUT UP GIN!" both females shouted.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She sat on a stone bench as she gazed out over the koi pond. She had heard that this was her daughter's favorite spot to waste time. It was a rather grand garden, and well maintained. Mira could get used to spending time here.

"Shiramae-san," called a demure voice.

The Yuki-Onna turned her gaze to the Shinigami noble. "Kuchiki-sama," she acknowledged.

She heard the rustling of fabric as he took a seat next to her. "You and your daughter both seem to share the common tendency to loiter in my family's gardens," he said with what she thought was humor.

Shiramae responded with a short laugh, and resumed staring into the pond.

An exasperated sigh came from the nobleman. "You seem troubled."

Mira didn't shift her gaze. "Hakyu is missing."

He nodded. "As was said at the meeting," he paused, eyes fixing on the cattails for a moment. "I found myself wondering what the nature of your relationship was with Shimizu-san," he asked, his dark eyes forcing hers to meet them.

The Yuki-Onna sighed, rubbing her temples in her fingers before telling Kuchiki Byakuya everything, about Shimizu Hotaru, Shimizu Katsuro, the funeral, and how Shimizu Ao came to be. She didn't know why, but she just needed to tell _someone_, just to get it off her chest. "After Ao was born, we agreed that we'd stop seeing each other in order to appease our clans. Neither of them liked the scandal, and it tore us apart," her eyes narrowed as the pond began to form a thin layer of ice around the edges. "But just because we stopped seeing each other doesn't mean I still don't love him, goddammit…" she buried her face in her hands.

There was a long, heavy pause before Byakuya began to speak again, and when he did, he did so cautiously, carefully choosing his words. "I did not allow the opinions of my clan keep me from marrying my wife," he stated.

She gave him a curiously look. He hadn't thought that a man such as Kuchiki Byakuya would have a wife, not with that stuck up attitude, even if it had been arranged. "You have a wife?"

His expression hardened slightly. "I had a wife, Shiramae-san."

Oh… that explained everything. Kuchiki Byakuya wasn't like Hakyu, and Kuchiki's wife's death likely hadn't been nearly as tragic as Hotaru-sama's. And Kuchiki apparently handled it differently, shutting out people instead of breaking down. She paused, giving him a steady gaze for a moment. "… My condolences, Kuchiki-sama."

He merely nodded. "My point is, you should never let your clan get in the way of those you love, Mira-sama."

Shiramae smiled, perhaps the first sincere smile she had ever had since she and Hakyu separated. "Thank you for your words, Kuchiki-sama, I shall take them to heart."

Yes, now she knew that once they found Shimizu Hakyu, she'd finally admit to the worlds that she, the Queen of Ice, had it in her heart to love.

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**A/N:** I don't like this chapter. It's boring. I had wanted Mira to interact with Byakuya for some time now, seeing as that he and Hakyu have a lot in common. But at least I got Mira and Hakyu's story written. Now you know how Shimizu Ao came to be! YAY!

Please Review! Pretty, pretty please?


	17. High Hopes

**A/N:** This is a transition chapter, so I apologize for any awkward-ness and the fact that it is short. Next chapter starts the fight that will take up an entire chapter, followed by more fights that will take us perhaps to chapter twenty-one. Oh, and I wish to direct you to my deviantART page, which I have a link to on my author page. But I must tell you, DO NOT CLICK "The Death of Nazo Sakane_Spoilers" OR "The Death of Nazo Sakane_Page2" BECAUSE THEY ARE SPOILERS. DO NOT CLICK. But feel free to browse all BUT that (**EVEN** IF YOUR NAME IS MICKAELA)

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Seventeen: High Hopes

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"_Feels like the weight of the world_

_Like God in heaven gave me a turn_

_Don't cling to me_

_I swear I can't fix you_

_Still in the dark can you fix me?"_

**-Weight of the World, Evanescence**

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Chiume had never actually regretted anything before. It was a new, foreign emotion, for sure, but the meaning was not lost on her.

Nazo Sakane was, in reality, not unusual. To many Youkai, she was fairly normal. If it had been anything else, Chiume wouldn't have cared. Her job could've been to slaughter an entire village of her own flesh and blood and she would feel no remorse. But this form of evil struck a nerve. The last time something like this had occurred had been while the Fifth Senka War was still raging. The Chihana clan had stayed well out of the conflict, and she was perfectly content with that. As long as they stayed away from Senka and just let the poor girl remain with the one she loved, then she was fine. But, of course, that damn princess had to go and open her mouth. The moment Chiume had heard that the heir apparent was going to purpose joining the war at the next council meeting, she snapped. No. _No_. The Shirohebi woman didn't care what her clan thought of her, just keep the damn Senka out of it. The Chihana clan had never once consumed a Senka Maiden, and she was going to keep it that way.

And now, here she was, assisting the one that is currently her greatest enemy.

She scowled. Leaning back against the stone wall of the cavern. Almost silently, she pushed her breath out between her teeth, a quiet hissing sound resulting. After a moment, the noise was doubled, a small snake slithering across the cave to circle up her arm. She lifted the cool-skinned animal to her face and cooed endearingly, stroking the side of the creature's head gently.

The purple-marked Fujin, scowled at her and gave her an incredulous look before turning back to the Senka Maiden.

Giving Chiume a curious look, the snake hissed a query.

Chiume smiled and hissed a response, carefully wording the message as not to confuse the animal nor the recipient. She set the reptile down and watched as it slithered back up its hole to the surface.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Shimizu Ao sat in her father's chair with a rather lax posture, one leg lifted up over the arm and her head resting in her hand. She looked overall rather badass, in her own opinion, but it was only to hide just how scared she was.

Ichidou stood tall to her left, and Toushirou had found a chair to pull up next to her. He had been absolutely livid earlier that day, but now, now, she really couldn't say she'd ever seen this side of him. Even as he sat beside her, he was seething, anger still the most prominent feature in his face. He was itching to do something, to hunt down the traitors and brutally kill them before hacking their corpses to pieces, because after a thorough investigation of the Fifth and Third Divisions, they had found something horrible.

They had found a body.

Ao would be lying if she said she wasn't upset, but she'd only known Hinamori Momo for a few weeks, while Toushirou had known her for most of his life. What disturbed her the most, though, was that they had been able to kill her, as the coroner's report said, three days ago and _no one_ noticed her absence. Her studies gave her the knowledge of Aizen Sousuke's Zanpakuto's power, Kazen Saimen, but she had no idea it would work on such a scale.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Ichidou and Toushirou both jumped, while Ao merely lifted her head from its lethargic position to gaze blankly at the intruder. It was the pale old Shirohebi woman, the clan leader of the Chihana clan, she noted. "Chihana-sama," Ao acknowledged, and both Toushirou and Ichidou relaxed.

The clan leader lifted her arm, surprisingly, a small, garden variety snake slithered out of her sode and she clasped the predator gently in her hands. "It ssseemsss that not all of Sssakane'sss forcesss are loyal to her. Ssshe apparently hasss one of my Ssshirohebi with her, for I have received a messsssage," she hissed.

Ao's eyes widened at the news. Wherever the traitor was, that was likely where her father would be. "Please relay the message, Chihana-sama," Ao commanded enthusiastically.

"It wasss very vague, but I wasss able to make out the wordsss: Rukon, eassst, Ssseventy-nine, left of bar, ssshack, double falssse bottom, cavern," she stated.

Hitsugaya inhaled sharply. "East Rukongai District Seventy-Nine is very small."

"Quickly, Chihana-sama, please relay your message to Soma Rentaro, as soon as possible," Ao said frantically, as she stood. The Shirohebi woman nodded and left, the swift pace of her walk making evident that she understood the urgency of the situation. The Tengu turned to Toushirou, "Can Soul Society spare any captains?" she asked.

His eyes narrowed. "No. Not with the panic that Aizen's escape has caused. It'll just be you, me, your mother, and Rentaro."

Ao tensed. "I think the four of us can take whatever Sakane can throw at us."

Toushirou's posture mirrored hers. "I hope you're right about that, Ao-hime."

The Tengu's shoulders lowered slightly as her gaze fell to the floor, running a hand through her charcoal hair in exasperation. "I hope I'm right, too."

. . . . . . . . . . .

Ichimaru watched blankly as Sakane paced back and forth across the cave, wringing her hands. He knew much better than to even attempt to talk to her when she was like this. She stopped in her tracks and pulled at her hair. "Where _are_ they!" she shrieked.

Nanami stared at her tiredly. "You know, your yelling is only increasing our chances of being found."

"I agree," Chikaru dead-panned, "It would be a wise course of action to settle your nerves, sister."

Sakane's reply was abruptly cut off by a crash.

Everyone turned to see Shimizu Ao sprawled on the ground beneath the entrance to the cavern, surrounded by the remains of the basket. She sat up, rubbing her forehead. "Rentaro, you ass!" she called.

"Well at least now we know that it really _was_ a false bottom."

"Next time you fall eight feet and tell me how that-" she suddenly realized that she wasn't alone, and she looked pleasantly surprised as she called, "Oh, here they are. Guys, get down here!"

Three more bodies plopped down into the cavern. Gin recognized Soma Rentaro and Hitsugaya Toushirou, and he was pretty sure the woman was that Yuki-Onna, Shiramae Mira.

Chikaru raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? A Tengu, a Kitsune, a Shinigami kid, and a Yuki-Onna? Surely you jest?"

"Grrr… I'm not a kid!" Hitsugaya exclaimed, reaching for Hyorinmaru.

"Fujiwa!" Sakane called expectantly, turning towards the back of the cavern, the split back of her Haori flowing out behind her.

The timid girl rushed in immediately. "Yes, nee-sama?"

Sakane glared at the group of four. "You take the Tengu," she nodded towards the blue-marked Fujin, "Chikaru, you take the Shinigami captain," she gestured to Nanami, the purple one, then to Shiramae, "Nanami, Shirmae-san." After a moment, she pointed to the Shirohebi woman, "Chiume, protect the Senka…if one of our attacks go awry, act as a meat shield." Chiume narrowed her eyes at the 'meat shield' comment, but complied.

The red-marked Fujin woman stopped, turning towards Gin. "Knowing you, you're just going to sit there and look happy, ne?"

"Um-hum," he nodded.

She rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the Kitsune clan leader. "I suppose you'd want to face me, correct?" she inquired innocently as her sisters gathered towards the center of the room, unsheathing their Katana with various degrees of finesse.

Rentaro clenched his fists, red energy radiating from him as all nine of his tails appeared. "I'm going to kill you. Brutally and slowly, then feed your corpse to the hollows."

Sakane let out a hearty laugh. "Have fun with that, gaki," she pulled out her sword.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** I know it's a short chapter… I'm sorry… I was experiencing writers' block.

So, I did that weird personality type thing, and I'm an Idealist Counselor (INFJ). I took the test in Sakane's personality, as well, and she's a Guardian Supervisor (ESTJ, with values 1, 1, 62, 11), which fits disturbingly well. (Supervisor Guardians are civic-minded individuals who dedicate themselves to maintaining the institutions behind a smooth-running society. They often rise to positions of leadership in service organizations and in their careers, defending the values of the groups to which they belong. Supervisors are strong believers in rules and procedures, and they prefer tried methods to experimental ones. With their outgoing nature, Supervisors are quick to communicate their opinions and expectations to others. They are hard-working, and they take their obligations seriously. Faithful friends and loyal spouses, Supervisors are adroit in social situations. They enjoy rituals such as weddings and holiday observances. While they may seem somewhat formal, they are frank and forthright, showing themselves for what they are. _–taken from wikipedia_)

Trust me, though, I'm not putting these here to increase word count. I'm putting it here for people who may or may not be interested in the personality types of the characters.

Both Chihana Chiume (78, 25, 50, 1) and Ulquiorra Schiffer (78, 1, 100, 67)are Guardian Inspectors (ISTJ). I don't think it fits Chiume well, but it fits Ulquiorra very well. If you want to know the summary, just look up Inspector (Role Variant) on Wikipedia.

Orihime is an Artisan Performer (ESFP, with values 56, 38, 88, 33), which at first I thought was totally NOT her, but as I kept reading I realized that it fit perfectly.

So… Review? I haven't gotten a single review in three chapters… XD


	18. Doubt and Defeat

**A/N:** Please remember, this is a very large cavern. It is about the size of a high school football field. They have plenty of room to fight. It's kept lit with lanterns and various enchanted items.

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Eighteen: Doubt and Defeat

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"_We've been seeing what you want_

_And got us cornered right now_

_Fallen asleep from our vanity_

_Might cost us our lives_

_._

_When we start killing_

_It's all coming down right now."_

**-The Howling, Within Temptation**

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Ao propelled herself at the green-clothed Fujin, shouting as she cleaved her sword downwards.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, "Woah," she exclaimed as she brought her sword upwards to block the near-devastating blow. The Tengu quickly responded to the block, swinging her Katana up then down once more to the Fujin's side. Her strike met flesh, and the startled girl stumbled backwards, clutching the wound with her unarmed hand. Ao pressed on with her offense, a little suspicious that the first blood had come so early in the battle. Perhaps the Fujin were weaker than she previously thought?

She dismissed the thought as the wound on the girl's side was suddenly just… gone. No magic sparkle, the girl had simply dug her fingers in the wound before replacing her bloodied hand back on her sword.

Stunned, the Tengu hesitated, realizing her mistake a moment too late. The girl immediately switched to the offensive, her sword biting into Ao's left shoulder. The princess gasped and stumbled, realizing that she was done for.

When the end did not come, she saw the Fujin girl simply floating there, the wind being commanded beneath her feet, offering a hand as if their battle was merely a friendly sparring match. "Shimizu-hime," she said gently, "My name is Nazo Fujiwa, representing the gentle Eastern winds. I rather wish we didn't have to fight, but Nee-sama would see through it if I pretended, so I apologize in advance if I kill you."

Ao gave her curious look. She was pretty sure she understood Fujiwa's situation, it wasn't uncommon for things such as this to happen, where Youkai with powerful siblings got dragged into shady crap that they didn't want to be any part of. "Um… apology accepted?" she replied tentatively.

Fujiwa nodded as Ao grasped her hand, the kind Fujin assisting the Tengu to her feet. Fujiwa bounced back, buoyant on the winds upon which she controlled, holding her Katana at ready. "Shall we continue?"

The princess gripped her sword. "Of course."

. . . . . . .

For the longest time, they simply stared at each other. Eventually, the purple-marked Fujin sighed. "I appreciated the fact that you are willing to let me go first, Yuki-Onna-san, but I must insist that you make the first move," she said, her bored expression barely making any movement to change to annoyed.

Mira shrugged, and lunged for the lithe young woman, a sword of pure ice forming on her arm. To her surprise, the girl dodged effortlessly, swinging her Katana down Shiramae's back.

The woman let out a cry of pain, but continued to seek out the skinny Fujin with her sword. As she felt the wind shift to her left, she turn, her empty hand out-stretched as shards of ice flew from her palm, right into the Fujin's vulnerable face. The black haired woman shrieked, dropping to the ground and springing upwards. Mira bent backwards, evading the kick and striking with her sword against the woman's legs, appearing to land a hit on the woman's thigh, but the image before her smiled and dissolved.

Eyes wide, Shiramae whirled, raising her ice sword just in time to block the Fujin's overhead strike. She threw more ice shards, only to have them deflected harmlessly by a gust of wind.

The Yuki-Onna's eyes narrowed. This was going to be more difficult than she thought.

. . . . . . . . . .

Chiume approached the Senka Maiden calmly as not to scare the girl any more than the Nazo Sisters already had. The orange-haired girl whimpered as the Shirohebi place a hand on her shoulder. "Ssssssshhh," Chiume cooed, "I'm not going to hurt you, Inoue-san," she said, dropping her accent, "Now, I'm going to do something that will surely assist your rescuers. I'm almost completely sure that a Senka Maiden can survive the amount of Shirohebi venom I'm going to inject you with."

The girl's eyes widened at her comment. Chiume gave her a reassuring smile, "It's okay, Shirohebi venom doesn't affect humans," the girl exhaled.

Carefully, Chiume lifted the arm that Sakane seemed to prefer taking bites out of. Trailing upwards, the Shirohebi opened her mouth, extending her fangs as she bit into Orihime's upper arm. The girl was obviously used to being bitten by now, and barely made any other sound besides the expected high-pitched whimper. After a few seconds, the assassin removed her fangs from the girl's arm, trading instead for her tongue, digging the small muscle into the twin puncture wounds.

It apparently hurt more than the Shirohebi thought it would, because the girl let out a muffled scream. Any upper Youkai such as herself could heal human wounds… by licking them. It was unexplainably painful and tedious, but it greatly reduced the amount of scarring the wound would leave behind, many times eliminating scarring altogether. Chiume pulled away and sat back to observe the girl's reaction.

Inoue Orihime suddenly paled before passing out.

Frowning, Chiume checked the human's pulse. It was slow, but not life-threateningly so. She'd probably experience a condition similar to a hangover when this was all over.

Chiume grinned to herself and leaned back, folding her arms behind her head. She'd done all she could, now just to wait and watch this play out.

. . . . . . . . . . .

The blue-marked one leapt for him, swinging her sword with such a beserker attitude that would make Zaraki Kenpachi proud. It took all of Toushirou's concentration to keep up a defense, let alone mount an offense. Eventually the berserker woman got bored and hopped back giving him a chance to attack.

"Reign upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!"

_**There we go, partner. Good to see you again.**_

_Enough chatter._

He swung his Zanpakuto forwards, releasing a large, roaring dragon of ice. The Fujin grinned, and let the dragon hit her head-on. Ice exploded and obscured his vision, and once it clear away, the woman was simply standing there, unharmed.

"Ice? You apparently are not familiar with whom you are facing," the woman laughed, extending her hands outwards as the wind began to whip, ice and hail forming in a tornado of frigid air surrounding them. It took moments for them to become completely surrounded by the blizzard.

Hitsugaya examined the nearly tangible walls of air with caution. The shards of ice would rip him apart should he come into contact with the cyclone.

The Fujin laughed and melded into the wind, disappearing completely from his sight.

Nearly panicking at this point, Hitsugaya turned frantically, trying to locate his opponent.

He heard an airy laugh, "Catch me if you can…"

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Rentaro's hands had long ago formed claws, fur crawling up his arms and as he threw punch after furious punch at the traitorous captain, every single one effortlessly, playfully evaded, and it almost looked they were in some sort of convoluted dance. He found himself growing to despise the amused grin that painted the red-marked Fujin's visage. He hated this woman's smile. He hated this woman's attitude. He hated this woman's _existence_, and wished he had an ability like Orihime's, so he could simply reject the bitch's existence.

Growling in rage, Rentaro began throwing bolts of red fire along with his fists, which only made Sakane laugh. "Fire, Rentaro-kun? It seems that you and that little gaki over there fighting Chikaru have something in common," she taunted. He charged up his fist, throwing what would have been a devastating blow, if Sakane had not caught it in her hand. She twisted his hand, unaffected by the ungodly heat radiating from his palms. "Neither of you know your opponent."

"Shut up!" He snarled, swiping his free clawed hand across her face.

She shrieked, flinching away and summoning up winds to carry her back as she nursed the deep cuts on her face. "You little brat!" she screamed, "Look what you did to my face!" Rage took over her features, causing the long, horizontal scratch marks on her face to bleed more.

Suddenly, she disappeared in a gust of wind. Before the Kitsune had time to react, her blade was embedded deep within his midsection. She waited an entire agonizing second before carving the rest of the way through, blood spraying from the wound, staining her white Haori with drops of lovely crimson.

Rentaro collapsed, bleeding heavily and nearly cut in half. "Y – you…" he attempted.

She gazed down at him with contempt before ignoring him completely. She lifted her sword and whipped it downwards, away from her, effectively removing the excess blood from the blade. "This no longer amuses me." She took several steps away from him, towards the direction of the grinning man a few yards away. "Finish it," she called.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"_Finish it," she called._

Fujiwa frowned. "Sorry about this, Shimizu-hime."

"Wha-" the green-marked Fujin cleaved her Katana down her shoulder once more, harder this time. Ao was startled by the depth at which she was cut, and stared at Fujiwa with wide eyes before falling to the ground.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"_Finish it," she called._

A phantom voice reached Toushirou's ears. "Umph. Nee-san is no fun."

His eyes widened in shock as blood spattered from his center, the bloodied point of the Fujin's blade visible to all. "H – h – how did you…" she removed her sword with a jerk, causing more blood to soak the ice-covered ground as the once mighty captain fell to his knees, desperately clutching the stab wound as he lost consciousness.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"_Finish it," she called._

Wordlessly, the purple-marked Fujin extended her arm, a wall of unavoidable condensed air barreling towards the noble woman, throwing her against the wall of the cavern and shattering the Yuki-Onna's ice sword. Nanami silently followed up with a carelessly executed slice across the chest.

As Shiramae Mira passed out, the emotionless Fujin woman retrieved a cloth from her pocket, wiping the blood from her blade before turning back to rejoin her sisters.

. . . . . . . . . .

Ichimaru nodded approvingly as he surveyed the carnage. "Good job, Sakane-chan… I didn't know ya had it in ya to defeat even lil' Shiro so easily."

The red-marked Fujin shrugged, tenderly running a her fingers over the wound upon her face. "They were weak," she stated bitterly.

Without warning, four more figures entered the cavern, making so little sound that if it hadn't been for their notable spiritual pressures they wouldn't have noticed them at all.

Three of the four were dressed in completely in white outfits that Gin was extremely familiar with, yet the one leading the group was contrastingly clad in black.

"Sorry I'm late," the black clad man said, stepping out into the light, revealing a head of spikey orange hair, "But I had to get a few friends."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** ICHIGO TO THE RESCUE! *raises hand* anyone else think that we're gonna see the Fujin get their asses seriously kicked? Anyone?

First person to guess which Espada Ichigo brought with him gets an entire bag of chocolate chip cookies (and no, that is not an euphemism for anything).

So, you got treated to a double update. I think that warrants a review. XD Please? I'm not going to withhold updates or anything if you don't review, but this is the first of many completely fight oriented chapters. I need to know how I did and how I can improve, please. :D :D FLAME ME GOSH DARNNIT! I just want one little review. T^T


	19. The End Game Part I

**A/N:** I did some more personality types. Rentaro is the Guardian Provider (ESFJ, with values 44, 50, 25, 11), Fujiwa is an Artisan Composer (ISFP, values 89, 25, 38, 11), and Nazo Chikaru is an Artisan Promoter (ESTP, 44, 100, 1, 22). All of those fit well, with because Guardian Provider fits well with an upbeat, optimistic clan leader like Rentaro. Composers are sensitive to the feelings of others and are sensitive to balance and understand well what does or does not fit. Promoters like the good things in life and tend to always know where the fun is at. Nazo Nanami is a Guardian Inspector like Ulquiorra.

Also, I know all the Espada's numbers are different. That's because some of them _died_, remember? So everyone got shifted up a position or two. Nel's the fourth in this universe, that's why Grimmjow's the fifth. My reasoning is this: If Nelliel was epically PWNing Nnoitra (until she reverted), who was the Quinta, then she'd also epically PWN Grimmjow, who was a lower rank than Nnoitra, so Nel would rank higher than Grimmjow.

And yes, I'm using the Japanese words for the sword releases. Enclose will be replace with Tozase, Grind switched with Kishire, and Ute instead of Destroy.

Oh, and if anyone was _really_ hoping Nel would be one of the ones fighting, you'll see some of her in the (extremely long) Epilogue.

Enough of this extremely long A/N. Let's get on with the fourth to last chapter.

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Nineteen: The End Game (First Suite)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"_In my darkest hours_

_I could not foresee_

_That the tide could turn_

_So fast to this degree_

_._

_Time keeps on slipping away_

_And we haven't learned_

_So in the end now_

_What have we gained?"_

**-Our Solemn Hour, Within Temptation**

. . . . . . . . . . . .

She noticed as soon as he entered the cavern. Tatsuki stood, sprinting for the main cavern, only to be restrained by a pair of strong arms. "Tengu-san, let me _**GO**_!" she shrieked, the black of Hollowification seeping into her sclera as she struggled against his grip.

"No, Tatsuki-san, it's too dangerous," he replied calmly.

Tatsuki almost wanted to scream. Why? Why was she so weak that she couldn't even help Ichigo? A harsh kick inside her abdomen reminded her. Her hands fell to her bulging stomach as she relaxed. No, nothing was worth potentially hurting their child. As black tears from her half-hollowfied eyes trailed down her face, the Tengu released her from his grasp and she collapsed to her knees.

The Tengu regarded her with caution, for fear of another outburst. "It will be okay, Tatsuki-san, I swear," he reassured her.

"I know, that's the thing," she retorted, "But there will be losses… on both sides, and if I was more powerful, I could help and keep that from happening."

Hakyu nodded. He'd awoken when a familiar life force had suddenly slipped away, but it was difficult to tell with the twin icy reiatsu's that had been in the cave until one fell, and either way, both he and Ao were going to be hurt.

_I never thought I'd think this, but please, please let it be Mira…_

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakane reflexively took a step back when the Vizard took a step towards her. "K – Kurosaki Ichigo…" she breathed, "It seems that my calculations were a bit off…"

She sensed Fujiwa flee the immediate area to a more recluse corner of the cave. Little coward.

When the Vizard took another step forward, Sakane resisted the urge to back away once more. "You know, Sakane," he started, "I was planning on letting the Gotei Thirteen deal with you," His eyes began to hollowify, fury taking over his features, "**But once you took Tatsuki, you crossed a line**." Oh, that echoed voice sent chills down her spine, and not in that tingly nice way Gin's did. There was now very little chance of any of them getting out of this alive, but she certainly wasn't going to show it.

The Fujin examined his companions, using her extensive knowledge of the Winter War to identify them. A head of electric blue hair and the hole in the abdomen indicated the identity of the former Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jeagerjacques. The short pale one with the green eyes and tear-lines had to be Ulquiorra Schiffer, the former Fourth. And finally, the one that had her really worried, the dark-skinned amazon woman whose taste in clothing seemed to mimic her own, Halibel Tia, the former Tercera.

Perhaps a diplomatic approach? No, not when Inoue Orihime was one of his closest friends. Her tongue flicked out, wiping the blood that had seeped onto her lips from the weeping wound on her cheek. "I seriously wasn't expecting you this early," she said after a slight hesitation, "I have no contingency plan. I suppose…" she paused, looking him in the eye, "We should continue with our swords?"

His normally warm eyes narrowed at her before he gave his Espada their instructions, "Pick anyone you want, guys, just leave Sakane for me."

. . . . . . . . . . .

Ulquiorra approached the purple-clad woman.

Nanami cautiously attempted to evaluate the Arrancar's power level, only to realized that he was hiding his spiritual energy very well, too well for her to assess it efficiently. "Who are you," she asked cautiously, refusing to let her fear slip through.

"I am Ulquiorra Schiffer, the current Trecera Espada," he dead-panned.

Nanami's eye twitched. She had to get the emotionless bastard. Lifting her blade she summoned up the winds, to lift her from the ground. "My name is Nazo Nanami, and I represent the wild West Wind," she stated, "I will not hold back, and I expect that you pull all stops as well."

The Espada remained emotionless. "I believe you may be underestimating me," he said after a moment.

She scoffed. "I just defeated a clan leader in little more than one blow. A _clan leader_, Schiffer-san. It is you, sir, who are underestimating me," she flicked her blade downwards, the winds whipping up accordingly. In a fraction of second, she was in front of him, his sword raised and blocking her swift blow. Damn, he was faster than she had initially thought. Oh well, she was faster. "I said, Schiffer-san, no holding back," she spat harshly.

He hesitated but a moment. "If that is your wish," he relented, "**Tozase…**"

Nanami jumped back as the malicious, depressing Reiatsu enveloped the Arrancar, the winds carrying her.

"**Merci****è****lago.**"

. . . . . . . . . . .

Fujiwa ran. She ran as soon as these new enemies appeared. There were a few rocky stalagmites that she could hide behind. All that was left to do was hide her spiritual pressure and pray to Susanoo…

_God damn Sakane and her arrogance…_

After a few moments of tense silence, she felt a somewhat feminine but still ferocious spiritual energy approach the spot where she hid. Carefully, Fujiwa pulled her spiritual pressure in as far as she could, hoping, _praying_, that the Arrancar hadn't noticed her.

Her hopes were crushed as she heard the light footfalls directly next to her. "Fujin."

She cringed and looked up at the Arrancar woman as her breath was taken away. _'Holy shit…'_ she thought as she gazed up at the dark-skinned, light haired amazon woman. For once, Fujiwa found herself cursing her sexuality as she noticed the woman shared the same taste in fashion as Sakane. High-necked half-tops and loose hakama.

"… I am assuming you are one of the Fujin that kidnapped Queen Tatsuki," she stated, her voice smooth.

"S – Sort of… I – I – I didn't r – really," Fujiwa trailed off, finishing with a sincere, "I – I don't want to die…"

The Espada narrowed her eyes. "Then you should have thought of that before you angered our King. Quite a feat, actually. His temper is usually rather impressive."

Fujiwa gulped, "Yeah, I imagine a guy like Kurosaki Ichigo can take a lot of shit before cracking," she said nervously, "Since you're obviously going to kill me, I guess I should tell you my name," she smiled meekly, "Nazo Fujiwa, the tumultuous Eastern Wind."

"Halibel Tia, the Segunda Espada."

The Fujin's eyes widened. Oh, why did she have to face the strongest one out of the three? She unsheathed her katana and summoned up her winds to protected her and increase her agility. Hesitating less than a second, Fujiwa swung her sword, only to have it parried by the Espada's Zanpakuto, which had been drawn just in time.

Fujiwa eyed the Zanpakuto cautiously. It seemed rather… complex, if one was going to wield it. But in the many years she'd been alive, if she could say she'd learnt one thing, it would be this:

Looks can be deceiving.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The blue-haired Arrancar approached her, sword drawn. He growled. "Damn it… that bastard Ulquiorra took the strongest looking one…" he muttered.

Chikaru tilted her head at this. Ulquiorra? That was the pale one, right? But… he was fighting Nanami, and Nanami was the weakest among them. Her face twitched. "You're not all that bright, are you?"

He sent her a glare that would send a Menos Grande running for the hills. Ah… if looks could kill. Chikaru flicked her blade out of sheath, sending it into the air where she expertly caught it with her dominant hand. She whirled her hands in a circular motion around her, starting up a small twister in which they were trapped. No one could get in, no one was getting out. "I am called Chikaru, the icy Northern wind. You?"

She noted his posture. Lax. She resisted the urge to quirk an eyebrow. He was underestimating her. "Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, the Quinta Espada," he said gruffly.

Chikaru chose that moment to grin. "Well then, _Grimmjow_," she didn't like his name. It was ugly. "You may as well utilize your power to its fullest potential."

He let out a short laugh. "You don't seem all that strong. Even _with_ the tornado thing," he stated dismissively.

"Au contrare, monsieur," she quipped. "Your companion, Ulquiorra, has released his resurreccion, and Nanami is holding her own. Grimmjow-san, perhaps you should know, but she is the weakest out of the four of us."

His eyes widened slightly, but he laughed. "So you're stronger? How much stronger?" he asked eagerly.

She shot him an incredulous look. What a freak. "I am the second most powerful," she said as-a-matter-of-factly, "And you are obviously the weakest among your companions."

The Espada grinned sadistically, causing Chikaru to be taken aback slightly. He began laughing, "So I'm gonna get a good fight after all!" he pulled out his sword, raking his fingers against the blade.

"**Kishire, Pantera**!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gin watched silently as Kurosaki confronted Sakane, hiding his spiritual pressure so neither would notice him.

"Isn't this an honor," Sakane said shakily, "The great Kurosaki Ichigo seeks to dispose of me personally." He'd never seen that expression on her face before. Yet, something told him that she knew she was quite possibly screwed.

Ichigo didn't respond for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "I thought you said you were finished with words, Sakane," he said coldly.

It was slight, and he doubted anyone else knew how Sakane moved well enough to notice, but she flinched. Gin almost lost his grin. If Sakane expected to win this then she had to have a little more confidence. Just a little. Perhaps she was overestimating the strawberry, which, while being better than underestimating someone, could still spell certain doom in this case. The Fujin would need to be calm to pull this off, and in the state she was in now, he was questioning her ability to do so.

He was unsure was caused it, but within seconds her sly and sadistic grin was back. "Yes, Kurosaki, I suppose I did," she said softly.

She took one step towards the Vizard, her sword drawn. "I suppose I did…" she removed one of the vials of Orihime's blood she had prepared earlier from her pocket. Using her teeth, she pulled out the stopper and downed it, the wounds on her face closing, leaving subdued scars in their wake. Ever the messy eater, a trail of blood dripped from her chin, dropping onto the pure white fabric of her captain's haori. Gin had supposed she'd continued to wear it as a way to mock them, that they'd let _her_, perhaps the most vile monster Seireitei had ever seen, into their ranks in a place of command. But after seeing this, he realized what she was trying to say by wearing it.

Hirako Shinji, turned into a Vizard, an abomination by Seireitei's terms. Aizen Sousuke, a traitor, a liar, a power-hungry bastard. And now Nazo Sakane, a kami, a killer, a deceiver. It was a curse, every single captain the Gobantai had either met a horrible fate or turned traitor.

The Fifth Division haori would forever be blood-stained.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Nope, no Sakane's POV for you. None of that until chapter 21.

Anyways, yeah. That haori must be cursed or something. Even look at the games, Seigen Suzunami from "The 3rd Phantom." Check out the wiki if you really want to know.

Oh, and I discovered some costume makeup I had buried in my room somewhere. I got bored and decided to give myself the same markings as Sakane. Then I went outside with my little brother and together we freaked the crap out of small children. :D Then he wanted Ulquiorra marks, which came off in the pool, so I got lazy and just replaced them with Grimmjow eye mark things… But silver. It looked badass. XD

Okay, next chapter, we get the substance of the fights and most of the defeats, then chapter 21 will be the outcome of Sakane vs Ichigo and another long flashback from Sakane's point of view.

Come on guys, I haven't gotten a single review in… FOUR CHAPTERS! Come on, guys, what does a girl gotta do for a review? Pretty please?

Tatsuki: Come on, tell 'em what the epilogue will have!

Orihime: Yeah! Tell them, tell them!

Yuuki: Okay, okay, but vaguely and in four words. Baby; wedding; funeral; alliance. Happy now?

All: Yep!

Yuuki: Okay everyone, stay tuned for the next chapter! (Mickaela, I've got a lot of ideas I've been keeping from you… it'll be a lot different than you think)


	20. The End Game Part II

**A/N:** Remember, the Nazo sisters are Youkai, and they've never been exposed to creatures like Arrancar or Vizards, so they don't have the defenses to protect against Cero or such. Actually, their strongest asset is their immune system. There are a lot of poisonous Youkai out there, and the defense against those poisons is what has kept them alive this long.

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Twenty: The End Game (Suite II)

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"_Would you mind if I hurt you?_

_Understand that I need to._

_Wish that I had other choices_

_Than to harm the one I love._

_._

_I know I'd better stop trying_

_You know that there's no denying_

_I won't show mercy on you now."_

**-What Have You Done, Within Temptation**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The branches whipped against his face as he ran. He didn't know where he was running, only that he needed to get away. As soon as he reached a clearing, he could jump into the skies and be home free. As a sliver of light reached his eyes, he ran faster. He was saved. He could make it. He could make it!

"Not so fast, Tengu." No! Not now! Not when he was so close…

A set of sharp claws dug into his back, another set digging into his wings and ripping out a handful of black feathers. He shrieked in agony, turning to face his pursuer. "… damn it… You BITCH!"

Soma Chinatsu regarded him with a stern expression. She growled, a feral sound that originated in the back of her throat as she shouted, "TRAITOR!" The elderly Kitsune snapped, coming at him with fists of hellish flame. Tamashi dodged to the left, only to have a foot slammed into his gut. He faltered, leaving him open for a painful jab to the chin, followed swiftly by a left hook to the side of his face. Both of the super-heated blows left raw, blood-oozing wounds behind.

The Tengu fell to his knees, a sign of defeat. Unfortunately, Chinatsu didn't seem like she was going to stop anytime soon. Her knee met his jaw before coming back to strike him hard in the ribs, both blows resulting in a resounding _CRACK_ of broken bones.

At this, the elder back away, knotting her fingers in his hair and pulling him up to look her in the eye. "You are _scum_, Ichidou Tamashi, complete and utter _SCUM,_" she snarled.

He defensively replied, his speech a bit warped from his cracked jaw, "I needed the Senka blood-"

"I'm not talking about the damned Senka, Tamashi!" she screamed, tightening her grip, "I'm talking about your _duties_!" She threw him down, the burned side of his face landing in the filthy mud, "You are the royal bodyguard of Shimizu Hakyu and Shimizu Ao! You are supposed to be at their side, fighting with them, not running like the damned coward you apparently are!" Chinatsu made a disgusted sound, "If I were your master I'd have you beheaded before you could say 'Oh, it's tea time'!"

Tamashi narrowed his eyes at the Kitsune. "Shimizu-hime would not benefit from my presence at the moment."

"Why the hell not?"

The Tengu exhaled. "Nazo-sama gave me an ultimatum. I was either to run or join her, or she would kill _everyone_ that was there, including any and all hostages."

Chinatsu was still looking at him like he wasn't worth the dirt she walked on. "That's no excuse. That changes nothing. You are still _scum._"

He sighed, burying his face in his hands, avoiding the welts, "I know."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chikaru wasn't prepared for the sudden onslaught of blades. As the feline Arrancar furiously attempted to break through her guard with the sharp appendages on his forearms, Chikaru became more and more enraged. Who was this bastard? He was quite possibly even more a of battle-lover than she was.

Ah, what was she doing thinking? Let go. Relish that fight.

She noticed his strikes begin to get a miniscule fraction slower. Taking the microscopic opening, she sliced her blade across his chest, right along an already existing scar, causing thick, dark blood to pour out of the wound. He didn't cease, instead, he out-stretched a hand and shouted, "Bala!"

The reiatsu made projectiles where easily blown off track by the winds. Chikaru laughed, and took her chance to go on the offensive, blindly pounding her sword towards her opponent. He grinned as he struggled to block each strike, eventually retreating back with Sonido to catch his breath.

Chikaru took this chance to fire a barrage of ice shards, not towards her opponent, but instead into the vortex surrounding them. If she could push him into the wall or wind, the shards would rip him to shreds, a beautifully messy and bloody death that she'd witnessed only a few times before.

Unfortunately, the Arrancar had used that time to ready a final attack. In the mere moments her attention had been diverted, he'd sliced his claws downwards, creating ten giant blades of energy. Chikaru looked back to him just as he was naming the attack.

"**Desgar****ó****n**," he stated.

Unprepared, Chikaru raised her blade to block, only to have the full force knock her back. It happened too quick for her to summon winds to slow her flight, leaving her barreling to the wall of her own ice-filled tornado.

Her last thoughts before she met the shards, almost instantly being reduced to a mass of blood flesh and leaving behind nothing except shred bits of blood-soaked blue fabric and crimson stained gold jewelry was:

_Oh, sweet, sweet irony_…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The purple marked Fujin regarded her opponent's new form with caution. It was only vaguely menacing. Barely intimidating. Creepy as hell, yeah, but not more than she could handle.

Unexpectedly, the Arrancar extended his arm out to the side, "**Luz de la Luna**," he stated, a green javelin-like weapon forming in his hand. Not wanting to wait around to see what it did, she whisked herself away with her winds, resulting in a teleport-like effect.

Ulquiorra apparently saw through this, and threw the javelin towards her. She Wind-Hopped to the spot directly behind him, immediately swinging her sword downwards just as the javelin hit the ground and exploded. To her surprise, there was nothing there for her Katana to hit. "Cero."

She whirled, only to be overcome by green.

Nanami didn't even have time to scream before she was reduced to ashes.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fujiwa dodged blow after blow, using her monkey-like agility and flexibility to just barely evade the deadly calm blows of the Espada.

Of course, it wasn't long until she faltered, the oddly shaped blade of Tiburon biting through her side… nearly halfway through her body.

The green marked Fujin collapsed, blood pouring from the wound as she cursed her stupidity. She'd let herself get hit immediately. She'd never even had a semblance of a chance.

The Arrancar emotionlessly sheathed her Zanpakuto before walking away.

Shaking, Fujiwa dug her fingers into the likely fatal wound, her unique healing powers slowing the bleeding and beginning the excruciatingly tedious healing process. For now, she simply let go of consciousness, slipping into a dark nothingness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ichigo refused to hold back. The moment the red-mark traitor lifted her katana, he pulled down his mask, angry, dark reiatsu surging throughout the cave. "**Getsuga Tenshou!**" he shouted, the red-rimmed black destructive force hurtling towards the Fujin.

With a single hand, the woman deflected it to the side. She scowled, looking down at her hand, seeing a burn left behind from the intense attack. "I don't suppose you think me to be on the same level as my sisters, do you? I'm a captain, you fool. My sisters are barely the strength of a seated officer." With that, approached him, a heavy, oven-like atmosphere surrounding the pair. "You'll bake before you reach me, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Growling in anger, he outstretched a hand, charging a familiar red energy in his palm. "Cero!" he hazarded. If she'd been able to deflect his Getsuga Tenshou, then it was quite possible she'd be able to do the same with a cero.

The expression on her face said not.

A banshee-like shriek filled the cavern as the cero collided with the woman. After a moment, she emerged from the cero, alive, unfortunately, but also extra-crispy. She was looking _way_ more than a little singed.

With an angry snarl the Fujin flashed away from the Vizard and towards Orihime, who was with that Shirohebi woman. Ichigo watched in horror as the Fujin grabbed Inoue's arm and bit into the flesh of her forearm, ripping away a chunk on bloody flesh as Orihime screamed, the sound of which was muffled by the makeshift gag.

When she pulled away, her chin was covered in Inoue's blood, the red liquid dripping onto her haori. "It'll take much more than that to defeat me, Kurosaki Ichi-"

She just… stopped. Her muscles tensed and she just… stopped.

The Shirohebi – Chiume – stood and reached into Sakane's haori, the Fujin's eyes following her furiously. Chiume pulled out two somewhat blood-stained blue hair pins, gently placing them in Inoue's hair and removing the gag. She turned to him, her almost snake-like features holding a solemn expression. "Do what you must. My venom will hold her for now."

Ichigo nodded and ran towards the opening at the back of the cave, barely making it before he was tackled. "ICHIGO!" Tatsuki exclaimed joyfully, embracing him tightly, showing no signs of letting go anytime soon.

"Tatsuki," he said, wrapping his arms around her rather… enlarged form gently. "You have no idea how much you worried me."

The Tengu man that Ichigo recognized as Shimizu Hakyu stepped out, running towards his injured daughter.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Ao," he said gently, gently running a hand through his daughter's ebony hair.

After a few agonizing moments, she coughed, "Hey," she rasped, "Go check on the others. I'll be fine."

Hakyu nodded. It was true, the others needed to be checked on. He headed over to the fallen Shinigami captain. Kneeling beside his daughter's fiancé, Hakyu swiftly checked the man's injuries. "Hey, somebody untie Inoue!" he called, "We're going to need her Shunshunrikka!"

Chiume frowned and untied the girl. Orihime rose shakily to her feet, having already healed the horrible wound on her arm. She took a few deep, haggard breaths before putting a hand to her hairpins, "Souten Kisshun!" she shouted, the orange shield-like dome appearing over the four fallen.

The Arrancar had gathered near the entrance, quietly observing, except for Grimmjow, who was still poking around the cave.

After a moment, Ao and Toushirou began moving. The both sat up slowly, supporting themselves on their elbows. Rentaro was slower to come around, raising an un-clawed hand to his forehead. Orihime ceased her healing, running to the young clan leader's side and pulling him into a tight embrace.

Hitsugaya and Ao had crawled over to each other, Ao resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. It was almost a complete fairy-tale ending. Except for one thing. Hakyu's eyes widened as he realized what was missing. "MIRA!" he exclaimed, running over to the fallen Yuki-Onna.

Ao noticed his outburst and untangled herself from Toushirou's embrace. "Mother!" joining her father at Mira's side. The clan leader grasped the Yuki-Onna's wrist. Nothing. He shook his head, eyes tearing up. Ao cried, tears falling down her bloodied cheeks as she leaned into her fiancé's chest.

Hakyu had sworn he'd never let someone die for him after Hotaru, but now, now… It was too much. He hadn't even gotten to speak to her before she died. He hadn't gotten to tell her that, even though they weren't together because of their clans, he still… he still loved her. "My god… Mira… not you too…"

"How touching."

Everyone stopped and turned towards the sarcastic voice. Sakane stood there, scowling at everyone, her face damp with cold sweat. "Chiume," she started, her voice strained. "I applaud your resourcefulness. Poisoning me via the Senka was quite clever." Her hands twitched, muscles spasming as she regained her mobility. "However, you forgot the obvious." The winds began to whip, weakly, but furiously enough to blow her hair and haori, she lifted her sword, "For one as powerful as me, the paralysis lasts but a _moment_!" she exclaimed, "And your moment is _up_, Kurosaki Ichi-"

"**Ikorose, Shinsou.**"

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**A/N:** You may now go on my DeviantART and read "Death of Nazo Sakane." ;D Remember, there is a link on my page.

I will upload page negative one (which sets the scene better) when I can get my darn scanner to stop being a jerk.

So. Please review?


	21. Unspoken Confessions

**A/N:** To those of you who went and read "The Death of Nazo Sakane," I changed her thought processes a bit to fit the flashback. Her expressions are all the same, though.

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Twenty-One: Unspoken Confessions

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"_Would you mind if I killed you?_

_Would you mind if I tried to?_

'_Cause you have_

_Turned into my worst enemy._

_._

_I, I've been waiting for someone_

_Like you_

_But now you are slipping away_

_Why? Why does fate make us suffer?_

_There's a curse between us_

_Between me and you."_

**-What Have You Done, Within Temptation**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blood spewed from the her chest as the greenish glowing blade of Shinsou pierced her from behind. For a split second, Sakane had no idea what to think. After what seemed like an eternity of agonizing blankness, she swiveled her head to face him, her shock and anger apparent on her face.

_No…_

His smile was subdued, a sad expression for him, she knew.

_Oh, gods, no…_

"Bye-bye, Sakane-chan," he said.

_Not him too…_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_She lay in bed, staring contentedly up at the ceiling, the thin sheets covering her prone form._

_Never before had Nazo Sakane found someone just as mischievous as her. It was hard to believe that Ichimaru Gin had evaded her interests all this time. She would never admit, but she'd much enjoyed her years as a captain of the Gotei Thirteen. Everyone was so nice and trusting, so much unlike her own kind. Youkai, by nature, were devious, cruel creatures. Even those Tengu and Kitsune were just as cruel as the rest of them. They simply hid behind illusions of honor and love. Her father had been like that. Weak. That was why she had usurped him and taken his place as the god of the wind. Of course, she had split the power between her and her sisters, unevenly, but all split all the same._

_Once Ichimaru had showed up in her life, she had briefly, briefly, considered calling off her plans. Let the Senka be. Live a long, happy, semi-normal life with her sisters and Gin. But no, she'd put too much effort into planning this. Too much time._

_Sakane rolled over, running a soft, womanly hand down the side of Gin's sleeping face, her lips curling up in a content smile. She felt a strange feeling in her chest, like a gentle squeezing. She lifted a hand to her lips and allowed the smile to grow. Perhaps he had lent her his heart, after all._

"I don't have a heart, Ichimaru," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ya can borrow mine if ya want. I don't use it much."

_She rested her head on his chest, listening close to his steady heartbeat, closing her eyes and concentrating on the steady beat._

_An errant thought drifted through her mind._

'_I think I love you.'_

_No. She sat up and shook her head, before getting out of bed and shrugging on the top of her Shihakusho and tying on her Hakama. No, no, no, no, no. She blinked as she grabbed her haori, taking one more look at the Gin. Shaking her head once, more, she pulled on her haori and continued on into the other room to prepare some tea._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

'_Gin…'_ she thought. Her eyes narrowed. '_You damned traitor.'_

Ichimaru retracted Shinsou, causing Sakane's body to jerk and blood to splatter grotesquely. Surprisingly, she still stood, blood pouring from the gaping wound in her chest. _'I guess this is it for me…'_ After what seemed like an eternity, her pissed expression faded, giving way to a content, satisfied smirk. '_Oh well…'_

She collapsed, blood pooling around her as she looked helplessly at Gin, blood filling her mouth as she tried to speak. "Gin…" she stuttered out weakly, "L – l – lo - lov…" Her eyes went opaque as her last breath slipped from her.

Gin stared in what seemed like horror as he realized what her last words had almost been.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Gin had never thought such an evil person could be so beautiful. She didn't even put much effort into it. All she had to do was _be_, with her hair down and her concealing make-up off to show her ethereal red markings… it didn't matter what she wearing, or if she was being innocent, seductive, or scheming. She was beautiful. It was a terrifying beauty at times, yes, especially after she had killed Hinamori, with blood running down her dripping from her lips, further blood-staining her top._

_Nazo Sakane was, for all intents and purposes, a goddess. And he, Ichimaru Gin, could worship her in ways no one else was allowed to. She was a resplendently dark deity, and at times like these, when she was still glowing from the aftermath of their activities, smiling at him with wide, bright eyes, he began, just a little, to question his plans. How could such a beautiful woman be evil?_

_All he had to do was remember Hinamori, and his doubts were expelled._

_But it changed nothing. Sakane was more than Aizen ever _could_ have been to him._

_Ichimaru Gin hated to admit it, but as much as he wanted it to be otherwise, he was falling in love… with the enemy._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Everyone in the cave watched in complete silence as Gin walked over to the Fujin's dead body, kneeling down next to her. He just stared at her face for a moment before setting his hand over her eyes, closing them. He stood.

Suddenly, Grimmjow called out. "Hey, guys, I think this one is still alive."

Ichigo looked to where he was indicating, the green one, it seemed, was still breathing. Her eyes opened, and she noticed the new development with terror. "You can finish her off, Grimmjow," Ichigo said nonchalantly.

"NO!" Both Hakyu and Tatsuki exclaimed at the same time.

The Vizard gave them both questioning glances. "Why not?"

Tatsuki went first. "She was kind. She made sure I was comfortable and she didn't torment Orihime like the others did. Fujiwa wasn't voluntarily with them," she explained.

Ichigo nodded, then looked to Hakyu, who sighed before saying, "You can't kill her. It'd cause complete chaos, perhaps even Armageddon, if Susanoo was lazy enough. Together, the Nazo sisters were Fujin, the wind god. There needs to be a Fujin, or the winds will remind unbound."

Sighing, Ichigo looked at the Fujiwa. "As soon as she recovers, she should go to the World of the Living, away from the Gotei Thirteen."

Fujiwa's eyes softened, "Thank… you," she managed.

He nodded.

Hakyu hefted the dead body of Shiramae Mira onto his back just as Soma Chinatsu dropped in, holding a struggling, injured Ichidou Tamashi by the ear. She pushed him down in front of the two Shimizu Tengu. "Now, Ichidou, SAY YOU'RE SORRY!"

"Ow! Gosh… crazy Kitsune obaasan…" He shifted into a bowing position. "Miss Shimizu-hime, Shimizu-sama, my deepest, sincerest apologies for not assisting you!" he shouted.

She placed a foot on his back, "And…?"

"Grr… It won't… happen again."

"Good boy," Chinatsu said, removing her foot.

Ichigo felt Tatsuki's hand grasp his gently. "I guess it's another somewhat happy ending, eh Ichigo?" she asked.

"Yeah. I suppose it is."

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**A/N:** Short, I know. BUT THE EXTREMELY LONG EPILOUGUE COMES NEXT! And two updates in one day… That warrants a review. :D Please?


	22. Epilogue

**A/N:** Oh yes, I butchered the wedding ceremony. But I guess they ARE technically in Japan, so it's a little different even with a western style wedding…

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Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies

Chapter Twenty-Two: Epilogue

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"_Can you still see the heart of me?_

_All my agony fades away_

_When you hold me in your embrace_

_._

_Don't tear me down for all I need_

_Make my heart a better place_

_Don't tear me down_

_You've opened the door now _

_Don't let it close."_

**-All I Need, Within Temptation**

. . . . . . . . . .

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you have a lot of explaining to do!" the Soutaichou shouted. He'd ordered Kurosaki to bring all the remaining Espada here so they could see just how many were left. Yamamoto was not happy with what he was seeing.

Ichigo held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I was just getting my wife back from that crazy captain that YOU let into your ranks!"

"That does not excuse deliberately keeping the existence of remaining Arrancar – ESPADA no less – in Hueco Mundo a secret from Soul Society!"

"In our own defense, old man," Grimmjow quipped, "It's not like we've been planning anything."

Yamamoto scoffed, "And who's to say you never will?"

"**Me, and her.**"

Soutaichou looked at the source of the hollowfied voices. Both of the Vizards, Kurosaki Ichigo and Kurosaki Tatsuki, had pulled down their masks.

The pregnant woman placed a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder, "**No way in hell are any of these idiots going to be misbehaving on my watch.**"

Ichigo laughed, a rather disturbing sound in his now hollowfied state. "**No need to worry about that, Yama-jii. These guys either respect me or are scared shitless of me, so I doubt you'll be seeing any sort of rebellion anytime in the near future.**"

The Head-Captain sighed. There was simply no reasoning with these two. Although, he had to admit, they were rarely wrong when it came to matters like this. "Fine, Kurosaki, but if there are any incidents it'll be on your head," he relented.

One of the Arrancar cheered. This was one that hadn't been there originally, a green-haired, childish woman with a ram-skull mask fragment. "YAY! Now we can all go to Orihime-chan's wedding!"

"I'm out," Grimmjow said, opening a Garganta. "Anyone else coming? It's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, and Aizen-teme left behind that huge HD Television… Think about it, sharks eating people in HD."

Halibel stood silently at the mentioning of sharks. As soon as Halibel rose, Szayel did as well. Apparently, Arrancar liked Shark Week, seeing as the only ones that stayed behind were Ulquiorra Schiffer and Nelliel Tu Oderschwank.

"Oh well," the girl relented, "More wedding cake for me!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hikaru, it's fine."

"No, Chinatsu, it certainly is not. The make-up needs to be thicker!"

Orihime laughed nervously. "I thought we were going with a more Western approach."

The two elders suddenly stopped and nodded. "So, 'Hime-chan," Chinatsu started, "Do you want to do the wig, or not?"

"No, thanks," she replied, "It looks really heavy," she eyed the black, extremely hairsprayed wig with caution. No way was that thing going on her head.

Hikaru actually laughed, "Oh, trust me, it is. True Shinto ceremonies are such a pain, especially for the bride."

The Senka exhaled, "I'm sure it is, if this has been anything to go by."

"Oh, stop," Chinatsu said playfully, sliding another bobby pin into Orihime's hair. "Okay, 'Hime, hold your head nice and still for me while I pin in the veil." She complied, holding her head nice and still while the elderly Kitsune slid the gossamer little veil into place, held in by her Shun-Shun-Rikka. It only fell about halfway down her face, more fashionable than traditional, but the Soma family seemed to be willing to make that exception.

When she was finished, the two elders stepped back to examine their work. "Perfect!" Chinatsu squealed. "Come on, let's get you into your dress!"

. . . . .

First went Yachiru, throwing the flower petals around and absolutely having the time of her life, it seemed. Then went her Maid of Honor, Rangiku, and her other bridesmaid, Nel, both looking absolutely stunning.

She didn't have someone to walk her down the aisle, or to hand her off, or anything of the sort. But what she did have was two of closest friends in the world trailing right behind her, arm in arm. Kurosaki Ichigo and Tatsuki were their Nakodo couple. The Nakodo couple was supposed to symbolize a stable, strong marriage, and if anyone could fill that role, it was them.

Orihime smoothed out her skirt. Oh, this was indeed nerve-wracking. What if she tripped? Or what if her hairpins fell out or she dropped her talisman and a bunch of Youkai swooped in from the sky and took her? That would be bad. But then he'd rescue her! They all would come running to her rescue. It was surprising how much that single goofy thought reassured her.

As the tune of the piano changed, adding more flourishes, her heartbeat accelerated again. She stepped out from beneath the floral arch and onto the silky white carpet runner, Ichigo and Tatsuki falling in step behind her. In her hands she grasped a grand bouquet of white roses, which she feared would slip out of her sweaty hands. Her eyes swept the crowd. There weren't all that many people. She recognized Shimizu Ao and Captain Hitsugaya, a few of the Elders, Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi, and even Chiume sat fairly close to the front, but the person whose presence surprised her most sat in the front row. She'd noticed him before, back in the cavern, but she really hadn't thought about it until now.

Their eyes locked for a moment, stormy gray met vibrant green. Ulquiorra bowed his head towards her slightly in acknowledgement before nodding towards the front of the room, expressionless as always.

She turned her gaze to where he was indicating, and her breath was taken away. There, beneath a sunlit lattice arch interweaved with lovely Morning Glories in full bloom, he stood, dressed in a fancier version of what he normally wore, looking more regal than ever. Naturally, she found her gaze being held in his light violet eyes, her own eyes seemingly unable to travel elsewhere. As clichéd as it was, she found herself fighting the urge to run headlong down the aisle. She couldn't reach the steps up to the slightly raised platform soon enough. As she grew closer and closer, the youthful clan leader held out a hand, which she shakily grasped in her once she reached him after what seemed like an eternity of walking.

Soma Hikaru was acting as the minister, and she began, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today," Orihime basically zoned out after that. It took all her concentration to NOT start hyperventilating. Her make-up was running, she was sure of it, but all she saw at the moment was Rentaro, who was obviously experiencing a similar emotion.

"Soma Rentaro, do you take Inoue Orihime to be your lofty wedded wife, through sickness and through health, till death do you part?" Hikaru said.

His answer came out as a little more than a gasp, "I do."

Oh gosh. Now it was her turn. She was going to say it! But she wasn't sure she'd be able to speak, even the two simple syllables that were required. "Inoue Orihime, do you take Soma Rentaro to be your lofty wedded husband, through sickness and through health, till death do you part?"

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. "I do," she answered, the words coming out as a bit more than a choked whisper.

They exchanged rings, then Hikaru lifted her arms slightly and spoke louder, addressing the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you Soma Rentaro and missus Soma Orihime!" she lowered her voice slightly, talking to the two, "You may now kiss the bride."

Orihime took a deep breath as the Kitsune's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her towards him, joining their lips gently yet passionately. Orihime just then realized that this… this was their first real kiss. It almost made her want to laugh, but it also made her want to cry. It had all gone so fast… but she wouldn't have had it any other way. They pulled away after a considerable amount of time and turned to face the applauding group of their friends.

Remembering, she tossed her bouquet into the air. There was a scramble amongst the gathered women, but the bundle of white roses landed in the hands of a lone cloaked woman. She lifted her head briefly, and Orihime caught sight of large aqua-green eyes lined with green. A pretty, innocent face framed by shoulder-length spiky black hair. Fujiwa. No wonder Orihime hadn't noticed her before, she practically blended in with the seats in that white cloak.

She hoped the last Fujin found companionship eventually. But for now, it was Orihime's time to shine.

. . . . . . . . .

After Orihime very politely shoved a piece of the red-bean paste flavored wedding cake (actually, the Youkai guests rather liked it. Finally, people who shared her taste in food), he ducked under her skirt to carefully remove her garter with his teeth as she sat there, blushing furiously. He flicked the small blue piece of fabric into the crowd of rather… unenthusiastic men, at least, compared to the women. Orihime was _extremely_ surprised when the item landed in the lap of a certain green-eyed Espada. At first, he simply stared at the thing as if it would go away if he glared long enough. When it did not, he rolled his eyes and slipped it into his pocket.

Then came dances. Her and Rentaro's first dances as… glup… husband and wife was memorable to say the least. She actually had started to cry then. They'd already worked out that for the groom's dance with his mother, Chinatsu would dance with him. They'd met a bit of an issue when it came to the bride's dance with her father, though. She got an idea, though, and, after a little persuading, got Ulquiorra to leave his little corner of silence and dance with her. No one questioned it, either, because if even the littlest hint of a vocal protest from anyone arose, they immediately found two half hollowfied Vizards breathing down their neck.

So, as you could probably guess, they all pretty much kept their mouths shut.

"So, Ulquiorra, how've you been?" she asked casually as they danced.

"I've been fine, woman," he replied.

After that, there was a brief awkward silence.

It was him that was the one to break said silence, and with an unprecedented inquiry. "Woman, what is the name of the Youkai woman that caught your bouquet?"

The question startled her a little, but she answered all the same, "Don't you recognize her? That was Nazo Fujiwa. She'll be leaving for the World of the Living along with everybody else tomorrow. I hear Urahara-san is giving her a job and letting her stay at the Shoten."

Ulquiorra didn't respond, simply continued on dancing.

Orihime smiled to herself.

Perhaps Fujiwa would find companionship after all.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Yuki-Onna were always known for their odd funeral traditions.

They had insisted on having the funeral take place in their sacred grove, the place where Hakyu had originally gone to find them at the start of this whole fiasco. It was colder than usual, even cold enough that the Yuki-Onna themselves were shivering a bit. The moment the Shiramae clan had heard of Mira's death, several younger Yuki-Onna accompanied by an elder had arrived to retrieve the body, immediately freezing Mira's already icy corpse in a solid block of ice. Surprisingly, they had carried her off with ease, although it obviously rather heavy.

Hitsugaya had been invited, but due to all the chaos that had been occurring, he had a lot of work that he was already inexcusably behind on. So it was just Hakyu and Ao from the Shimizu house. When they had arrived, the block of ice that held Mira's perfectly preserved body rested on that large boulder that they used for occasions as this.

Yuki-Onna didn't live like Tengu and Kitsune did. They spent most of their lives drifting in the snow, only a mystical consciousness. Simply… being. When Ao had been younger, sometimes, on chilly winters' nights, she would lay down out in the middle of the frost-covered garden and close her eyes. When questioned about it, she would simply say that the snow felt like home. It was one of the few racial traits she had inherited from her mother. Either it went away with age, or she was hiding it, these days.

Currently, his daughter was speaking. She stood at the front, addressing the group of lovely, sad snow-women. "I've known Shiramae Mira almost all of my life, but only recently did I learn what she truly was to me and my father. I'd known that Mira was my mother for three weeks before she died. And she died trying to save someone dear to her, and that, in my opinion, is one of the most honorable ways to go," she tears formed in her eyes, freezing halfway down her cheeks. "I just can't believe she's dead…" she gasped. Hakyu immediately stood and directed his daughter back to her seat, handing her a handkerchief and a wool blanket.

The Tengu clan leader stood at the same spot his daughter had, about to speak, only to stop and revise once he realized that half the eyes that rested upon him were hostile. He paused, thinking it out carefully. "Shiramae-sama… no, Mira, Mira was just… _so_ much to me. She helped me out of a very dark place after I lost my wife, and had also provided me with someone to keep me out of that place," he threw a look at Ao, before sighing, "Look, what do you guys want me to say?" he asked, "That I'm an idiot? That I didn't deserve her kindness? That she shouldn't have died for me? Don't you think _I know that?_" he calmed his breathing, "I'm regretful, yes, regretful I was foolish enough to be captured by the enemy. Don't you people realize that for the next half a century I'll be lying awake at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering 'what did I do wrong?' I have enough mental repercussions for both me and my daughter that I have to deal with, I do not need your scorn as well. There is even a chance that if you hadn't pressured us to separate, we wouldn't be in this situation! Goddammit! Mira wouldn't want this!" he finished. He was likely totally destroyed now.

An elderly Yuki-Onna cleared her throat. "Shimizu Hakyu," she stepped forward. "Before she left to assist you with your war, Mira confided in me that if she were to fall, she wanted the clan to accept, at very least, her daughter as part of our family. She said to consider it her final wish."

Hakyu exhaled, "That makes me glad, Shiramae-san, it really does, thank you," he stepped down and stood next to Ao.

The elder Yuki-Onna now stood at the front of the crowd. "Sisters! It is time to join in the seeing off of a great leader, I welcome you to allow your spirit to join with the snow and help guide our precious Mira as she becomes one with the ice! Now, my sisters!" The wind whipped, the various Yuki-Onna around then dissolving into snow and swirling around the casket of ice that surrounded Shiramae. The pair of Tengu shielded their faces as the snow circled in a fury around the block of ice that was now gradually disappearing into snow. Just as the block completely dissolved, the snow shot out in multiple directions, leaving the Tengu alone in the grove.

No one would see a single Yuki-Onna for two months. That was their mourning period for a clan leader.

And finally, Hakyu broke down, and let himself cry.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"**GODDAMMIT I SAID GET IT OUT**!" The partially hollowfied woman shrieked.

Ichigo had his doctor's scrubs on, and he'd thrown Goat-Face out of the room. The man may be a doctor, but Ichigo could deliver his own wife's child on his own (well, with a little help from Yuzu and Karin). He'd already administered as many painkillers as he could. "Tatsuki, just breath, please, honey, just breath."

"**I AM BREATHING YOU IDIOT!**" She screamed louder.

"It's okay, hon, you're almost there, I can see the baby's head," he said, quickly and reassuringly.

Apparently, she was concentrating on contractions so much that she'd run out of things to yell at him. And finally, after five agonizing hour of labor, Tatsuki finally gave birth, the event signified by the sound of a baby crying.

Ichigo grabbed a cloth from the little wash basin and gently cleaned the blood and liquids from the child after sniping the umbilical cord. For a moment, he simply held the child in his arms, staring, shell-shocked at the little wrinkly creature.

"Wha's tha gender?" Tatsuki slurred once she caught her breath.

Ichigo checked. "Boy."

Tatsuki smiled a lopsided smile. "Give 'em 'ere."

He complied, setting the small boy in his wife's arms, and it stopped crying. "Ha, I win," she murmured. The baby opened his eyes, and Tatsuki inhaled sharply, "He's got his daddy's eyes…"

"What do you wanna name him?" Ichigo asked.

She took a second before answering, "Kazuhiro, 'great harmony.'"

Ichigo smiled. "It's perfect. His nickname will probably be Kazu."

Tatsuki laughed, "It's still perfect."

"Hey, Ichigo. Guess what?" Tatsuki said, pausing, "You're a daddy."

The Substitute Soul Reaper felt his chest puff up in pride and happiness.

Nope. Life did not get any better than this.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_He walked right passed the guards, who all bowed down as he passed by. As he passed through a pair of large, ornate doors into a grand throne room, he continued walking towards the woman that sat in the middle throne. "Izanami. I would suggest you get out of my seat."_

_She caught sight of him and her face took on a stern expression. "Ah… Izanagi-no-Minato… you have returned. It has been a few centuries."_

_He continued walking towards the throne, at a brisk pace. "Are you going to get out of my throne, or am I going to have to use force, my dear?"_

_The severe woman scoffed and slinked out of the ornate throne. "FINE! Take your high-chair back! I'll get it back in due time, Izanagi. Or rather, what was that name you've been going by these days?"_

_Izanagi took his place on the throne. "Tsukuyomi. Amaterasu. Please see miss Izanami-no-Minato to the door."_

_A man with long, silver hair and a woman his exact opposite with flowing golden hair appeared, each placing one hand on the deranged goddess's back. "I will have my revenge, Izanagi! I swear on the deepest pits of Yomi, I WILL SEE YOU FALL!"_

_Just as they were exiting the room, she screamed one last thing at him, "BE SURE TO SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN, GOD OF LIFE!"_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

**A/N:** AND IT'S OVER! I'm… I'm getting a little emotional… I… I finally finished my first multi-chapter fic… I think I may cry.

Anyways, remember, there will be two more coming eventually in the Creatures of Myth trilogy. The next you saw a preview of in that last section.


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